The Journey of Day and Night
by depressedchildren
Summary: He would not change what happened for anything, and neither would she. They never expected to have children together, to let their pasts go. But now they find their family breaking apart due to the struggles between the free peoples and the Eye in the East. Will they forsake Middle Earth, or become weapons of change? Sequel to "The Tale of Day and Night"
1. Chapter 1: Leaving the Nest

_****__**Disclaimer:**_I do not own either works, nor do I profit from posting this but in terms of writing experience. The characters and plot belong to their respective creators and companies.

_**Full Summary:**_ Ultimately, they would not change what happened for anything in the world. At long last they had a family, a family both had dreamed for since their genin days. Neither of them ever expected to have children together, nor let their pasts go. But here they were: content, and in peace at long last. But now they find their family, their peace, breaking apart due to the struggles of the free peoples against the Power in the East. Will they forsake the world they have so few ties to, or will they become weapons of change? _**WARNINGS:**_ OC's, character death (not a likable character), gender-bending.

_**A/N:**_ This is a sequel to "The Tale of Day and Night," if any readers are not familiar with it, reading that first would be extremely beneficial to reader comprehension and acceptance of the fic. That being said, this is the first chapter in the sequel which really is just a continuation of the previous fanfic –but diverging to include "Nature's Daughter."

Also I took some of the dialogue from the book, if you think its boring blame Tolkien (I don't think it is but then again I love the character development revealed through the dialogue). I condensed and summarized sections and rearranged ordering. If I don't write a scene assume its the same as in the book or just assume the dialogue is the same. Anyways, enjoy ~ with love, depressedchildren **edited: 8/13/2013**

Key:

"Text" westron

_"Text"_ sindarin or japanese

_Kusanagi _title (i.e. _Prancing Pony)_

* * *

_Chapitre 1_

* * *

_**3017 July**_

Sasuke looked over at the blonde fanning herself. Aragorn was sitting on a stool in the corner singing in elvish as he whittled away at some wood. Minuial had gathered flowers with Tinnu and they were now scattered at the dobe's feet. It looked like the twins were making a wreath while they hummed along to the ranger's song.

It was strange how the song affected her, affected them all.

The ranger had asked him several months ago why he was so insistent about making his wife join them when it was clear she preferred to be alone. After pointing out that it was: one; not the in the dobe's nature to shut herself away from people, and two; being alone with her thoughts that was making her ill; Aragorn began to aid him in cheering the blonde up. The man would sing that elvish song every time the dobe left her bed-in fact, Sasuke could probably sing it word for word if he felt inclined to do so-and the ranger always made sure that Athelas plant was steeping when she came down.

Whatever he was doing seemed to have worked, the dobe was willing to leave their room more than in the months past, and she had begun to eat more. It also seemed that once she could feel the baby kicking inside of her, she could let herself believe the baby would make it to delivery.

Sasuke looked back down at the log book and continued doing his figures, but his attention was snatched away by the girls crying in delight.

"Finally, finished!" they cried in unison, they clearly wanted all of the room's occupants to understand them. It worked, for Aragorn looked up from his whittling to watch as the twins set the circle of flowers on their mother's head.

"There, now you look like a princess," Minuial exclaimed.

"A princess of nature," Tinnu added as she and her sister pecked their mother on the cheek. The dobe was blushing and looked a little annoyed.

"Thank you girls, but I don't want to be princess," though the dobe did not remove her supposed crown. The twins rolled their eyes and set their hands on their hips.

"We know that!" they chorused before they got on either side of her and began to play with the blonde's hair.

Sasuke noted that he was not the only one chuckling. Aragorn was laughing at the girls' antics while he continued to whittle at the piece of wood.

The dobe huffed in annoyance while her hair was set into intricate braids with flowers tucked in at random places. She was not so annoyed as to swat away the girls' hands, and Sasuke imagined she partially enjoyed the attention, but was also being indulgent. Sasuke set down the quill he was writing with and found himself mesmerized, though he would rather bite his tongue off than admit it. The dobe was just…she was glowing for the first time since the miscarriage.

She looked so alive, though bags still hung under her eyes and he could see the worry on her face in the tightness of her mouth. But her skin looked healthy and her eyes were shining again. It was hard to imagine they were once blue, but Sasuke couldn't say he missed them because they weren't the eyes of his wife. His wife had gold eyes with rectangular pupils, his mouth twitched up slightly in the corner at that thought.

"_What? Do I got something on my face, teme?"_ Sasuke froze at being called out. He could feel heat creeping up his face and he coughed in discomfort. That was when the dobe's expression turned mischievous and the twins began to mimic her.

"_Neh, Kaasan, I think Tousan was admiring you," _Minuial sang as she wiggled around her mother to give him a knowing look.

"_Yeah, Tousan was looking at you like Haldarad looks at Nee-chan!"_ Tinnu exclaimed and the two little demons began to cackle while they smiled that devilish smile.

"_I noticed…" _the dobe practically purred and began to stagger out of her chair. It took one a tenth of a second for Sasuke to decide it was better to flee than face the humiliation the dobe surely had in store for him. Sasuke quickly put the quill away and stopped the ink jar as he closed the log book.

"_I have work in the forge,"_ he rushed out as he stood up and moved for his safe-haven, and if not for the smirking pre-teens blocking his path to the workshop, he would have been home free.

Aragorn gave a startled noise, likely at how quickly the twins had moved. Part of him felt pride over that. The twins were not as fast as Sasuke but they were getting there; however, they had anticipated where he would go and intervened.

"_No you don't Tousan,"_ the little demons sang. He could hear Aragorn chuckling in his corner. Though the man did not know Japanese, he was fairly good at deciphering contexts, especially when the girls spoke in a sing-song voice.

When the dobe set her hand on his shoulder he sighed and turned around to face her Cheshire cat expression. Perhaps if he faced her head on and stoically she would humiliate him less? He gave his most neutral look in return to the smile while she just wrapped her arms around his neck. Her stomach came between them and the sudden feeling coursing through him was inexplicable. It was pride yet more than that. They had created the almost being inside of her, the thing keeping their bodies from being flush against each other. His feelings over it were confusing but all good, though he was ashamed of some of the feelings growing from those thoughts; such as the feeling that compelled him to take her up to their bed... The dobe was his wife, with his child inside of her; which was oddly exciting and wonderful and-and made him feel pride.

Sasuke inhaled slowly through his nose. He could feel parts of him reacting to their intimacy, to the dobe's coy yet knowing look. The way stray hairs framed her face, and the intoxicating aroma the flowers gave off reminded him of Crickhollow...it made his pulse quicken ever so slightly. His wife, his dobe, she was back at last.

"_What exactly were you admiring, teme?"_ she asked slyly while she played with the hairs at the nape of his neck. His hands found their way to her hips despite the large, hard stomach between them.

The dobe was a vision that was for certain. When they had their wedding the dobe had flowers in hair similar to how they were now, and his amnesic self had never seen anyone so beautiful. Even now, he was hard-pressed to think of anyone as stunning. His children were beautiful but in a different way – they were _his _children, hence he was naturally biased to believe they were the most beautiful and perfect children in the world. But the dobe – as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself – she was more beautiful than all the kunoichi of Konoha. Perhaps because she gave him children, perhaps that was part of the reason for this attraction he felt toward her – because who would ever have thought Naruto to be beautiful?

"I…" oddly, his heart was beating a little faster and not from blood rushing to specific places. Perhaps his heartbeat quickened because he was going to make a very public statement that even Aragorn would understand, yet he found he wanted to say it - oddly enough, "I was reminded of our wedding," he brushed at some loose hair and tucked it behind her ear as he smirked, "You had similar flowers in your hair."

The dobe's eyes fluttered closed at the slight touch and her smile fell into a gentle one. "I did, didn't I?" Suddenly her eyes shot open just as Sasuke jerked back slightly, he could have sworn he felt something strike his stomach. The dobe set her hands on her protruding stomach and gave a laugh.

"Felt that did you, Bastard?" Sasuke heard Aragorn cough at the "endearment" and he chuckled.

"I did," Sasuke stooped down to be at eye level with the formidable stomach, he set one hand near the blonde's and felt the baby kick or punch at it. Likely it was a kick. This felt so familiar and he smiled slightly at why that was so. "Dobe, do you remember when I would talk to them?"

"Yeah, it felt _weird_," she scrunched up her nose at the memory and slipped into Japanese since she did not know the westron word for weird. Sasuke chuckled before he pressed his lips to the firm stomach.

"_Do you think it's weird, hmm?"_ he asked the fetus, only to jerk his head back as he was kicked. The dobe was snickering, her eyes were scrunched up slightly but they were shining in amusement.

"I'd take that as a yes," the dobe was smiling softly and Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he stood up.

Part of him was almost ashamed, ashamed of acting so...so soft and domestic. But when he was without his memories he had talked to the girls in utero all the time. He would whisper the dreams he had for them and his hopes. He would tell them how excited he was for them to join their mother and father in the living world. Arad had loved it too, she might have scrunched up her nose at the tickling sensation, but she loved how the babies responded. They spent whole nights lying in bed with her hand in his hair as he talked to the girls.

Sasuke smiled at the memory and pushed his shame away - yes he might be an Uchiha but he could not help what he felt. Surely Itachi would have been similarly overjoyed at having children, and he would likely do his best to raise them better than they had been raised. Itachi would have been caring to any children he had, if only to be as unlike Fugaku as possible. Besides, after fifteen years of parenthood, Sasuke firmly believed parents should love their children with all they had and be willing to put their life on line for them. Fugaku would have only risked his life if both the spare and his heir were in danger; at least that was the perception he had of his father once reflecting on the past and Fugaku's cold, uncaring ways.

He had to push those bitter thoughts away. He could never be like his father, and he would never want to be. He looked over at the twins, still blocking his escape, he did his best to show he cared about them, and that he loved all of his daughters equally. He found himself smirking at the sight of the twins. They were eyeing him and the dobe intently while their bodies were twisting more and more with each passing second, and he could guess why. They're gaze was focused most dominantly on the dobe's mid-section.

"Did you two want to talk to your sibling too?" Sasuke asked, much to the dobe's chagrin, and the twins pounced at the opportunity, eyes alight with excitement and mischief. They moved in a blink of an eye and were already surrounding the dobe. Sasuke chuckled at the dobe's whine and attempt at a death glare, she could try to glare menacingly all she wanted, in the end it would look endearing. He helped her to sit back down while the twins began to talk a mile a minute at the pregnant stomach.

As he pulled away from them he couldn't help but think that now was an innocent time, not a time to whisk the blonde away to bed. Firstly, she'd slap him for considering such a thing when they had company. Secondly, she would be too worried about the baby. He tried to stop smiling but he couldn't as he watched his wife and daughters.

He found himself chuckling at his family's antics though he wondered why ranger was being so quiet, usually he would be laughing at the girls' antics too. Sasuke caught sight of Aragorn out of the corner of his eye. The man had a wistful expression on his face, and if Sasuke was not mistaken, there was envy too. He moved to lean on the wall beside the ranger who looked away from the scene to smile at him, though the smile did not reach his gray eyes.

"Let's spar," the ranger looked at him in surprise but nodded his head. Sasuke could wager a guess as to why the Dúnadan was so down, and a spar would be an opportune time to get the man open up away from prying ears that would make more of the situation than need be - the dobe for example.

The dobe shot him an angry and betrayed look, "Oh no you don't! You are not abandoning me with them."

Sasuke smirked at the dobe and she did her best to glare back at him. Her face had never been meant for glaring - pouting in a begrudgingly adorable manner, yes. "Oh come on, dobe, they're old enough to take care of their poor, pregnant mother for a little while," the twins cackled while their mother groaned.

"I'm aware of that, Bastard," she hissed while Sasuke picked up his_ Kusanagi_, "They're going to put more flowers in my hair and keep talking to the baby. You can't leave me alone to that," she cried out in despair while the twins shared a conspiratorial look. Their eyes flashed mischievously, they were so like their mother when together.

"But you look so beautiful," Sasuke teased and pecked the blonde on the lips. He'd let her think he was just teasing and had not given an actual confession. Aragorn shook his head with a smile on his face as he waited by the forge door. Sasuke could hear the dobe spluttering in indignation behind him, even after so many years it was still music to his ears.

"Besides, Dawn will be back from her hunting trip with Haldarad, and you need to look for _hickies_" Sasuke code switched which caused the dobe's eyes to widen as she choked on air. The twins looked at each other in confusion and repeated the word. Sasuke chuckled and continued to speak, _"and castrate Hadarad if there are any," _the dobe then began to laugh loudly while Sasuke hurried out the door with Aragorn.

He knew the young ranger would never do that with his daughter until the two of them were married, but the dobe used to tease him about it all the time so Sasuke decided to return the favor. It was good to see her laugh, and hopefully soon she would be making those jokes again.

Reaching the village wall, Sasuke helped the ranger over to the other side. Landing in a crouch, they straightened and continued on their march. It was silent for a moment. Usually they moved to a clearing in companionable silence and seldom talked, but Sasuke was curious. "If you want a family so much why don't you settle down?"

The ranger looked taken aback by his words but Sasuke continued to look forward. He would not make a big deal out of this conversation and if the other man didn't want to talk about it – fine, he'd let the matter slide.

"It is not that simple…" Sasuke hummed at the response and he heard the ranger sigh, "My beloved is of the elven race, I would never take her away from her people. I could never ask that of her." Personally, Sasuke could not see what the big deal was, though he briefly wondered what exactly their age difference was. He mentally shook away those thoughts and continued to pick his way through the forest.

"So I should send my wife back to Konoha because essentially, I've taken her away from her people?"

Aragorn's brow was furrowed and Sasuke sighed while he shook his head, "Aragorn, the dobe made her choice, she's here with me and our children because…" Was it love; certainly when it pertained to the girls, "Because she would rather be with us, her family. The family she created with me. "

The ranger was silent for a moment, but it was not in anger, rather in thought. Sasuke decided to continue since the man was being receptive so far. "Sometimes I do wonder if she regrets the decision, but it was _her_ decision and I can't let myself feel guilty about it. If she asked to return to Konoha I would ultimately let her, but because of the girls she will never do that.

"Naruto was loved by so many people in Konoha, she was their hero, their martyr and I took her away from them…" Sasuke could not keep his disdain from his voice. There was another thing to resent that fucking village for, they used the dobe like some aegis yet they wouldn't have cared if she broke except that they would be vulnerable to attack. She wasn't a human only a weapon…just like he had been for Madara… He shook away those thoughts.

"Your elf woman will likely love you and any children you have together,"Sasuke said this as dismissively as he could, he knew Aragorn had no delusions about there being love between Sasuke and the dobe, but that would be the pivotal difference between their circumstances. He had faith the ranger would work out what he was implying by that. If the dobe was loved by Konoha but was willing to stay here for the girls, what was holding his woman from wanting to be with him because of love? "If its her choice to be with you, you shouldn't feel regret because you know she won't," Sasuke ended simply as possible.

They continued walking, the silence now between them was disrupted by the occasional twig snapping and the calls of insects or birds. They reached a suitable clearing and stood off against each other. Aragorn still seemed to be mulling over Sasuke's words, even as they began their spar the ranger was still contemplating what he had said.

Sasuke rushed at the man, stopped short and quickly spun around Aragorn who had swung at him. Sasuke easily tapped him in the back with the hilt before he slipped under the other's arm as Aragorn swung around. Saskue brought the hilt of his sword to the other's chin, it was a gentle tap but made in the blink of an eye. Aragorn stumbled backwards and rubbed at his chin, surely thinking of how he ought to be dead. Sasuke smirked and purposely threw a few kunai a little wide. The ranger's eyes widened and he jerked backwards, stumbling slightly.

Sasuke sighed and straightened out of his crouched position. "We should stop," the ranger looked affronted and was ready to protest but Sasuke spoke up again, "You're too distracted, you'll get hurt if we continue." Aragorn sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.

"True, Friend. You have given me much to think about." He was troubled, that much was clear to Sasuke now. Perhaps the man would like a distraction, but not one where he could hurt himself from not paying attention. Something mind-numbing and simple yet productive...training always did it for Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked and noted the man starting to sheath his sword, "Who said we were done practicing?" the man looked at him quizzically and Sasuke's smirk grew, "I won't spar with you in this state, but I am going to make sure you pick up speed so I won't have to hold back so much in the future." He missed using chakra with his kenjutsu.

The ranger looked shocked at first but then he began to laugh, loudly and with true mirth. "I thank you then, Sasuke. I would not want to bore you in our spars,"

…

Naruto bit her lip while the girls continued to talk to her stomach. They were speaking that weird language Ranger-san spoke to them in. Naruto felt silly with her hair all made up as it was with all the flowers in her hair. Actually it was making her feel a little nauseous – the flowers smelled too strongly for her sensitive nose. She blamed it on the pregnancy.

She could feel the baby relaxing inside of her as the twins began to sing, it was the same song Ranger-san had been singing for the past few months. The baby always relaxed when it was sung, and at first it scared her, but then she would feel the baby shift or stretch and her fears would subside. She didn't want to lose another child, she couldn't.

She hoped the new baby would distract her from Konoha. Now that the girls were in their teens they didn't need her as much as they had in the past, and how foolish of her to have missed even one moment of their lives. Time passed so swiftly, years slipped by in the blink of an eye, and she could not take back any of that lost time.

Naruto still longed to see Konoha yet…yet she wouldn't. She had this baby to look after and her girls were going to get married soon and start their own families. But then when this baby grew up, what would distract her then? She would just have to keep having babies - the fox liked that idea and she glared at it in her mind's eyes, of course it did.

The teme…Sasuke. He was so…so not who he should be yet was. Her thoughts were extremely conflicted over the matter. Through the last two…two pregnancies he was so gentle and kind _and supportive_. And gods, when the miscarriage happened… Naruto forced herself to focus on the twins singing to the fetus to keep herself and the baby calm. Without opening those wounds further she thought about how kind Sasuke had been.

If anyone had told Naruto seventeen years ago that Uchiha Sasuke would be a supportive, thoughtful, caring husband, she would have laughed until her stomach ruptured. If anyone had suggested she and the teme would be married with children, she would have pointed that she _was_ male and hated the prick's guts. Of course, everything had changed. She had changed, the bastard had changed.

They were near their mid-thirties with three, almost four, children. It was so hard to believe and yet not. The memories of Crickhollow told her that there was nothing wrong with their arrangement, and even now she was starting to see the evidence. The teme had called her beautiful and brought up their wedding. No matter how much she cringed at being called beautiful, it still made her stomach flutter about for reasons other than the baby. The teme had talked to the baby just like he had with the other babies, and before that, Naruto was well aware that the teme was looking at her with what as unmistakably lust.

Traveling around the world with Ero-senin quickly familiarized her with the tells included in lust. Why though, was the question. What about being huge as a fucking house turned the teme on? Was it some Uchiha thing maybe? Maybe he did get off on her being pregnant with his little sharingan - possibly even rennigan - babies! Oh the bastard was gonna get it when he came home. He liked seeing her pregnant, that had to be it! He had always been so arrogant and smug that he probably was thinking about how _he_ had got _her_ with child. Yep that was it, the proud son of a - she sighed at looked down at the girls.

He helped her gain the family she had always wanted, the family she doubted she would have had without him. They had the most perfect children, and Sasuke was a surprisingly good father. Yeah, he was stoic but he was so loving and gentle toward them. He could be hard on them but only for a little while because he was wrapped completely around their little fingers and he was just fine with it. Admittedly, sometimes at night when the teme held her in his arms like he was protecting her, she felt so at ease - not that she needed anyone protecting her. Though for those brief moments before sleep took Naruto, she could imagine some of that gentle, caring attitude directed at their daughters was be translated onto her. Something was forming between them and it scared yet thrilled Naruto at the same time.

Naruto broke from her thoughts by Dawn and Haldarad entering the shop with Halbarad behind them acting as a grim chaperone. Naruto chuckled to herself – oh sure, there would be hickies with eagle-eye Halbarad watching the two. Really, the teme could be so ridiculous sometimes.

Dawn warily watched as her mother chuckled to herself while the twins just turned their heads at her entrance. They didn't bother moving from their crouches or moving their heads farther from their mother's stomach. Haldarad looked confused and shifted the string of fowl and rabbits they caught in discomfort. Halbarad just stood there like a sentinel.

"Minu, Tinnu," Dawn called and the girls reluctantly got up, "You're helping me pluck and skin the game," they scrunched up their noses but otherwise made no complaint. Kaasan and Tousan had been training them to get over their disgust of dead animals, and it was finally beginning to pay off.

"_And how are you Kaasan?"_ Dawn asked as she stooped down beside her mother to be eye level with her. The blonde smiled slightly. She was smiling at least, and her skin was glowing.

"_Thanks for getting them away. I swear your father can be such a bad influence on them,"_ she shook her head playful and Dawn felt so relieved. It felt like ages since her mother had last joked. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek and Kaasan made a face in response.

"_What is it, kiss me day?"_ Dawn chuckled and stood up. One hand gravitated toward the intricately braided hair. Kaasan groaned and slumped in her chair, _"Not you too,"_

"_Not me too, what?" _Dawn asked with a laugh in her voice. She hoped she looked as beautiful as her mother when pregnant, so many women in the town looked worn down and sick when they were pregnant. Kaasan was radiant, and now she was full of life and mischief. It seemed whatever melancholy had fallen on her was lifted at last.

"_Touching my hair and looking at me all-oh I don't know,"_ she flailed her arms for a moment and sighed.

"_Kaasan,"_ Dawn started and drew the woman's attention back to her, _"I'm glad your back," _she knelt down beside her and cupped her hand to her mother's cheek, _"you finally look like you again,"_ Kaasan blinked several times and then frowned. Was she really not aware of how deplorable she had looked, how heart wrenching it was to see some faded image of their mother for months at a time.

Dawn shook her head and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. She had been so scared for a while there that her mother wasn't going to make it, that she would die and so would the baby. But today her mother looked so alive and healthy - perhaps it was a start of her mother's recovery. Whatever this was, it seemed that things were finally looking up.

* * *

_**3017 September 29**_

Aragorn was shaking his head as he hid behind the hedge near Bree. He did his best to make his breathing shallow so as not to disturb any foliage. Why? Well apparently he was being tested by Sasuke along with the twins. Dawn was at the shop with her mother and Haldarad while preparing dinner and helping the heavily pregnant woman go about her day. They worked in shifts since her mood had begun to improve, and Sasuke could not fall behind in training his children – and friend apparently.

Aragorn tensed at the feel of metal against his throat. He sighed, "How did you find me friend?" he asked lowly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You shook your head," Sasuke whispered back just as lowly before he pulled the knife back and disappeared from sight, "But the twins haven't found you yet," the ranger would have sighed but that would likely give his position away to the twins. It was to test his hiding ability and the twin's tracking ability. Since he did not have their same energy, Aragorn was apparently harder to find, and especially after the advice the blacksmith had given him in his hiding skills. To begin with, Aragorn was quite able to stay out of sight, but the insight Sasuke had was astounding. It was as if the man had lived in shadows for most of his life.

Aragorn was taken from his thoughts by the appearance of four hobbits on ponies and a short man with a bright yellow hat. They had come down a sloping bank near the tree line and Aragorn eyed them intensely, could these hobbits be the ones he was waiting for. Why had they come from the Borrow Downs, and why were they in the company of that jolly man, Tom Bombadil he believed the man's name to be.

"Well, here we are at last!" one hobbit cried, he had curly brown hair, and was taller than his traveling companions, but not by much. His skin was fairer than the others and he had a cleft in his chin, but what drew Aragorn's attention the most was the brightness in the hobbit's eyes, he seemed keen and quick of wit.

The same hobbit continued speaking, "I suppose we haven't lost more than two days by my short cut through the Forest! But perhaps the delay will prove useful – it may have put them off our trail."

Hmm…so the hobbits were being perused and they had made a short cut through the Forest, the Old Forest then? So these hobbits came from the Shire, how interesting. Aragorn was to wait for a Frodo Baggins since Gandalf had been long absent.

The hobbits' expressions darkened with dread and fear. It would seem they had been reminded of their pursuers by this simple statement, and a few even looked down at the road warily.

"Do you think," the smallest and apparently youngest hobbit in the company asked hesitantly, he had golden curly hair and an exceptional amount of it. "Do you think we may be pursued, tonight?"

"No, I hope not tonight," answered Tom Bombadil; "nor perhaps the next day. But do not trust my guess; for I cannot tell for certain. Out East my knowledge fails. Tom is not master of Riders from the Black Land far beyond this country," The jolly man's attention drew away from the hobbits to the tree line and a broad smile broke across his face. What mattered from the man's words though, was that these hobbits were being pursued by the Nazgul, which meant they had the ring. This must be the company he was searching for, though it would do Aragorn no good to confront them now.

The hobbits looked sad to part from the man but Bombadil just shook his head and laughed. "Tom will give you good advice, till this day is over (after that your own luck must go with you and guide you): four miles along the Road you'll come upon a village, Bree under Bree-hill, with doors looking Westward. There you'll find an old inn that is called _The Prancing Pony. _ Barliman Butterbur is the worthy keeper. There you can stay the night, and afterwards the morning will speed you upon your way. Be bold, but wary! Keep up your merry hearts, and ride to meet your fortune!"

The hobbits pleaded for him to come with them to the inn for a drink, but he just shook his head and made a beckoning motion with his hand toward the tree-line. At first Aragorn feared he had been discovered until he heard Sasuke scoff from somewhere above him. Of course! Aragorn recalled the blacksmith was familiar with this jolly man.

"Tom's country ends here: he will not pass the borders. Tom has his house to mind, and Goldberry is waiting! But I have a friend here, who should come out from the tree he is standing in and greet him," there was mirth and the jolly man's voice as well as chastisement, and Aragorn heard his friend make a noncommittal sound.

"Now come Dû, is this any way to treat your first friend in this world, the one to name you and your darling wife?" The hobbits looked startled and actually jumped when the blacksmith hopped down from the trees to land before them in a crouch. The twins were not far behind him and they looked at Bombadil with wide yes while their father straightened from his landing crouch.

"You know our parents!?" they asked in unison while Sasuke just sighed. Tom looked delighted and even hopped down from his Lumpkin.

"You are my dear friend Dû's children, and how is your radiant mother, how is Nature's Daughter? I know she left us to return to you all, it turned out well?"

Sasuke was glaring at the jolly man. "Yes, it turned out well. We're expecting another child,"

Bombadil clapped his hands together and gave a delighted cry, "Why you must all visit! Oh and what precious daughters you have," he ruffled the twins' hair and they scrunched their noses up. They never liked having their braids messed up.

At this point the tallest hobbit spoke up, "Where had you three come from, were you spying on us?"

"No!" Minuial exclaimed, looking affronted.

"We were playing hide and seek with our uncle, and father," Tinnu elaborated while Sasuke just shook his head.

"And you two still have not found him. Perhaps you should do so before you find yourselves running the four miles between here and Bree twelve times."

"_Tousan!"_ the girls whined which caused Bombabdil to chuckle.

The stoutest and one of the youngest hobbits spoke up at this point, "but that's nearly fifty miles!"

"Well they were supposed to find their Uncle before me and they had failed; besides, they have not had speed training recently,"

The youngest hobbit and a hobbit who appeared to be a close cousin, were eyeing the blacksmith curiously. "You know you seem awfully familiar," the youngest hobbit spoke.

"Why I would imagine he would," Tom spoke up which caused the dour man to shoot Tom a deadly glare that had the hobbits backing up, though the jolly man seemed to ignore Sasuke's threatening look.

The tall hobbit spoke up, "And why would that be?"

"Why Dû and his wife lived in Hobbitton for a year, yes? Crickhollow, wasn't it?" the hobbits gasped, their eyes widening in recognition.

"But that was where Mr. Baggins moved to, he moved to the haunted house," Sasuke grimaced at the stout hobbit's words. Curious, but the name mentioned by the hobbit interested Aragorn more, though this haunted house talk was interesting as well.

"That place is still standing?" his friend asked slowly, much to the twins' delight.

"Yes," the tall one began slowly while he shot a glare at the stout blonde, "and the name Baggins is to be left behind, remember. I am to be Mr. Underhill if any name must be given." He hissed at the others which caused Sasuke to quirk an eyebrow.

The youngest hobbit spoke up again, "Mr. Dû, if you lived in the Crickhollow house before, can you tell us how it became haunted. We were told demons inhabited it."

Aragorn's friend gave a dry laugh while the twins began to snicker. "That's one thing to call Kaasan," they giggled. The blacksmith just shook his head.

"Just wait until you two are old enough, then you'll be helping me when she goes into labor," the twins paled at their father's words. Clearly they did not like this prospect.

The hobbits looked at Sasuke curiously. "It's too much to explain at the moment, and I wish you had not brought that up, Tom," the jolly man just laughed again.

"But these hobbits could use a trust worthy friend within Bree. Could they sup with you perhaps?" Tom stated.

The blacksmith glared at the tall hobbit, the Baggins. "I don't want that one near my family." The hobbit looked taken aback and the others looked affronted. Why would his friend say such a thing? Arad, or rather Naruto, would give the blacksmith's ear a lashing he would never forget for not letting familiar hobbits met up with her. It had slowly dawned on the ranger that his friend was indeed not the one in charge of the family, though really it seemed like Sasuke just did not want to go through the trouble of being yelled at or "pranked."

"And why is that?" the stout hobbit demanded. He even went so far as to draw his pony in front of the brunette.

"Is it about that dark energy?" Tinnu asked her father seriously, her eyes narrowing and locking onto the Baggins's waistcoat pocket. Sasuke nodded his head curtly and the hobbits looked confused.

"What energy?" the Baggins asked, alarmed.

"There's a really bad energy in your pocket, Mr. Hobbit. It's worse than the demon inside of Kaasan," Minuial elaborated but flinched at her father's glare.

"_We do not mention the Kyuubi aloud,"_ Aragorn wished he knew what exactly his friend had said as a reprimand. He also was alarmed by the fact that the fairly docile blonde had a demon inside of her, "Your mother can control her demon but this energy," Sasuke gestured to the hobbit's pocket, "is not controlled, or at least not controlled by him. I do not trust it being near my family," the blacksmith addressed each hobbit while still glaring the tall hobbit's waistcoat pocket.

"You feel a foul energy coming from me, how is that possible?" Baggins asked with fear in his voice.

"My friends are quite amazing," Tom stated, "They can sense powerful energies, such as myself and my Goldberry. Do not fear young hobbit. My friend is a unique case."

"I'm so confused now," the youngest hobbit exclaimed, "How does your wife have demon inside of her, and how could you live in Crickhollow, there have never been big people there before."

Sasuke shook his head and brought his hands up in a strange formation. Then, in a puff of smoke he was replaced by a hobbit, a hobbit who seemed familiar to the cousins.

"I remember you!" the older cousin stated, "We were at your wedding."

"Yes, Merry was it?" Sasuke asked before he turned to the youngest hobbit, "and you were a Took , Pippin, correct?" both hobbits nodded their heads adamantly.

The stout hobbit and Baggins looked confused, "How do you do that?" the stout one asked.

"It is one of my special skills," he stated before releasing his transformation. Aragorn was also intrigued by the spell, though it held little practical advantage on a battlefield, it would be a formidable infiltration technique. Though, from what the ranger had gleaned about his friend's past, the man did do infiltration operations or at least that infiltration was a common operation.

"We can do it too!" the twins cried as broad smiles split across their faces. Aragorn's friend sighed and began to pinch the bridge of his nose. Though, now that Aragorn thought about it, such a technique would be good for diversionary tactics, a false lead of sorts.

"Look, you would be welcome but I don't trust whatever is radiating that energy. You can eat at the _Prancing Pony_ and find rooms there, but I would advise you not to get too comfortable." The hobbits looked confused.

"Oh, the Greenway-ers?" Tinnu asked and Sasuke nodded his head. The hobbits looked to the twins for clarification, clearly they did not like speaking with Sasuke, the man was intimidating to be certain.

"Yeah, they've been coming to Bree for years now, but they're not very nice. It's like they're waiting for someone, and sometimes they talk to these black riders outside the village," Minual shook her head in disgust.

"You just have to be careful, especially if you're trying to be secretive," Tinnu stated and received a nod from her father which made her smile, likely at being recognized by him. Aragorn smiled fondly as well, the girls were clever and could give these hobbits good advice. They had been trained in stealth and secrecy since they were young. "Try not to draw a lot of attention to yourself and keep your lips sealed tight."

"Good advice you two," Tom piped in with a bright smile.

"I bet Uncle could help you too," Tinnu stated, "He knows from here to Rivendel like the back of his hand, and he knows how to stay hidden,"

"Yes, clearly since neither of you have found him yet," the blacksmith reminded them and the twins groaned.

"Why don't you two start your laps before it gets too late. Tom if you want me to be an escort for these hobbits I will, but I don't want that energy near my wife when she's so close to giving birth," the man nodded his head in acquiesce, he seemed to know he would not get anything better from the smith.

"Yes it would be best to part now, I have Goldberry to get back to. Send your beautiful Arad our love," Sasuke nodded his head curtly and waited as the hobbits wished Tom their goodbyes and "safe travels."

Aragorn waited for them to pass him before he began to slink after them. It would seem these were the hobbits he was waiting for and Baggins had the ring, or so Aragorn assumed that was the evil energy Sasuke had been talking about.

As they travelled to Bree the hobbits began talking again. The twins had taken off in a blur which startled the hobbits and they passed the company many times, so that after a while the hobbits became used to it – well as much as anyone could get used it. The blacksmith smirked whenever he heard the stout one's exclamation of surprise and the various murmurs of praise directed at his daughters' speed.

"So…" Pippin began after they were lapped by the twins for the eighth time. "You can change your appearance?"

"Yes but it's an illusion, though my wife does physically change with her transformations," the hobbits looked amazed and Merry was about to open his mouth when Sasuke cut him off, "And I don't know how that's possible, though I suspect it has to do with her tenant."

"Tennant? Is that the demon?"

The blacksmith sighed at Baggins's question but nodded his head. "Before any of you think poorly of my wife, it was placed inside of her when she was newly born and the old jail keeper was killed. She became a weapon where we are from because the demon granted her immense energy and astounding healing abilities. Now are your questions stated," he hissed at them, and likely also at Aragorn for he too found himself intrigued. "She also has complete control over it, though I haven't the damnedest clue how she accomplished it."

The hobbits hummed and hesitantly Baggins spoke up again, "So you don't want me near her because you fear the dark energy I carry will interact with her demon's energy?"

"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if the fox wanted to see who had the darker and more destructive energy, if you understand me," Sasuke was shaking his head. "Of course, I too can control the demon though it's draining,"

They were nearing the gates by this point, "I would prefer we stopped talking about this. You'll find _the pony_ simple enough, it will be packed, keep your wits about you, ask for water not ale," the hobbits looked disgusted by the prospect, "There are spies in there, you have to keep your wits about you, understand."

"Of course, thank you, Dû for all your advice and your company."

Sasuke scoffed, "Sure," he was only doing this because Naruto would have his head for ignoring people in need. Also they were apparent friends with Bombadil and Sasuke owed the man a good deal for teaching them westron and giving them names. He was only returning the favor. Besides, he knew Aragorn was eaves dropping, and he'd rather the ranger didn't ask those questions around his currently volatile wife. He fucking hated what the hormones did to her.

"Um… Mr. Dû?" the stout hobbit spoke up, "Why were you and your wife living in Crickhollow?"

"To test our westron and see if we could fit into your Middle Earth world,"

"What?"

Sasuke sighed and gritted his teeth, "I am not obligated to answer that, I've answered your other questions, so excuse me. The village gate is not far ahead, you'll be fine the rest of the way," they were annoying him beyond end and the girls had already finished their laps. Sasuke used shunshin to escape the hobbits. He really hated how much people talked in this world. He had returned the favor done to him by Tom, _and _he warned them plenty. Now if they fucked things up, no one could blame him for not trying to help them.

….

Naruto felt like she was ready to burst. She was huge! HUGE! Her back ached like none other too, and her hips felt like they were breaking under the pressure of her little bundle of joy. She also had too pee every thirty-minutes, or so it seemed. Had she been this pregnant with the other three? Probably, but she probably blocked if from her memory.

The soup smelled amazing and Haldarad was reading some poem to Dawn in that funny language they all spoke. It was amazing how many languages her girls had picked up, and it was almost impossible to understand the conversations the three had, because it was a mélange of Japanese, Westron, and Sindarin. It boggled her mind how they could speak those all at the same time and still understand each other easily. Then again, Naruto noted that from time to time her daughters spoke Japanese either with the sentence structure of westron or vice versa.

Naruto was in charge of stirring the soup so it wouldn't burn, that was about the extent to which she was trusted with cooking. She chuckled to herself at the thought; at least she had gotten better over the years. Her stitching had also gotten a little better but it was always crooked, and when she patched things up the cloth would be puckered. But that was the nice thing about being married to the teme, they shared domestic duties, he sewed and cooked, she gardened and cleaned from time to time. Now the girls helped too, which was so nice!

Naruto looked up from the pot hanging over the fire to see her lovely little twins enter the room. _"Tousan met an old friend today," _they stated quickly and Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

"_We were playing hide and seek when this little guy with a bright yellow hat started talking to Tousan," _Minuial explained quickly and Naruto sat up in her chair.

"_Tom? Why wasn't I grabbed!?" _she was going to murder the teme when he showed his face. _"And where is your father?"_ she asked in a deadly low voice. Perhaps murder was too merciful, she could prank him, prank him good so that he could never live down the shame. She began to laugh manically in her head, but then her daughters were looking at her in alarm and she figured she must have started laughing for real. Oh well, she went with it and blamed her hormones.

It was at this point that Sasuke showed up and he held his hands up in a defensive position with his palms open, the teme likely knew what she thinking. _"I have a good reason for not grabbing you. One, you're too pregnant; and two, well you'll figure out soon."_

"_The bad chakra?" _the twins asked in unison and Sasuke nodded his head curtly.

Naruto looked at the teme in confusion, but her eyes narrowed. He was not going to get off so easy. No way. Not even if there really was a bad chakra out there. She'd let it slide for the moment and focus on what really mattered, _"So what did you talk about?" _she asked and the teme shrugged.

"_Didn't talk about much," _he replied and leaned against the store counter to face her with his arms folded over his chest. He was trying to act cool, was something talked about that she didn't like?

"_Is that so?"_ Naruto watched his every move as he responded to her.

"_Peregrin Took and Merriadoc Brandybuck were in a company of hobbits Tom had apparently made friends with,"_ Naruto nodded her head, likely the hobbits had gone through the Old Forest and met him, but why would they do that? Well, when she thought about it, they might have taken that route if were trying to leave the Shire incognito.

"_Hiding something? Escaping something?"_ Naruto asked; those were the only plausible reasons hobbits would risk the Old Forest on their way to Bree.

"_Both,"_

That was curious, _"I take it you escorted them to the gate?"_

"_Until they were in sight of it, yes. Besides, Aragorn was watching over them too,"_ Sasuke looked annoyed that he had to escort the hobbits but at least he did it.

Old Sasuke would have sooner killed the hobbits than have been their guide. He really had changed, and it made her smile that he was starting to do good without having anyone bend his arm backwards, though Naruto supposed there was some Uchiha pride playing in mix as well. Old Tom probably asked him or implied that he wanted Sasuke to help the hobbits and the teme felt obliged to after all Tom had done for them.

"_Good, though it wouldn't have killed you to escort them all the way—" _Naruto broke off and clutched at her stomach. Kurama was stirring inside of her at the sudden presence of some…some really foul chakra. The baby wasn't too happy about the situation either, and made that clear by kidney punching her from the inside, or at least that's what if felt like.

"_That's the bad chakra?"_ she grunted out, _"Damn it fox, calm down!" _Naruto shouted in her mind.

"_**But it's so….so dark. I want to play…"**_

"_Tell the fox to keep it in its cage,"_ Naruto looked up at her husband and began to snicker. How witty of him, the teme probably figured the fox was getting excited over the evil chakra. Aww, he knew her and her tenant so well.

"_Ha! Yeah, Kurama, keep it in the cage, no one wants to see your furry thing,"_ Naruto crowed at the fox in her mind, the demon snarled at her .

"_**Are you two implying I'm sexually excited?!" **_ Naruto snickered and the teme looked amused as well, likely because he could see the emotions flitting across her face.

"_Is Fuzzy-Wuzzy having a conniption over my comment?"_ Naruto nodded and Sasuke's smirk turned malicious, _"Then it must be true, right?"_

"_Yeah, right?" _she asked aloud and to the fox. It just glared at her.

"_Okay, Teme, I forgive you for not getting me, I don't want Kyuubi too close to that energy either – at least while this baby's in there" _Naruto gestured to her stomach and Sasuke nodded.

"_So…" _Minuial started, _"Dinner?"_

"_Hell yes! I'm starved!"_ Naruto yelled, though it was getting harder to ignore her excited tenant who was also displeased with her for the earlier comments.

"_Suck it, Kurama, you walked into that!"_ she told the fox mentally as she was helped out of her chair and taken to the dining table. Damn she felt like walrus right now, fat and waddling. Though the teme was there, offering his support, pulling the chair away from the table... It was nice, but she wanted him to stop treating her like the baby was going to come out any moment.

Ugh! When would this thing just get out!

…..

She had felt it growing all night and now she could not sleep. The teme was fast asleep beside her but Naruto just could not sleep. There had been a really horrible presence that had come into the town and began talking to Bill Ferny, or at least she assumed that was the case because it was outside his house. Naruto knew it wasn't the other energy – that had stayed at the _Pony_ the whole time.

Though, the dark energy in the _Pony_ was spreading all around the village, seeping into people. It reminded Naruto of how a genjutsu worked yet it was more than an illusion. Whatever the energy was doing it was stirring up trouble and Kurama was practically purring inside of her.

"_**Oh that is just brilliant!"**_ the fox exclaimed randomly, Naruto closed her eyes and focused on her mindscape.

"_What are you going on about?"_

"_**The other energy, it's twisting people to do what it wants. It's ingenious! Why haven't I thought of that?"**_

"_Because you can't do it,"_ the fox just glared at her for a moment before it began to smile maliciously, or at least he tried to but the muzzle just made it look like it was barring its fangs at her.

"_What?"_

"_**The fun's about to begin!"**_ it cackled, but before Naruto could ask what exactly the fox meant the baby kicked and twisted inside of her, but what was alarming was that the baby felt farther down than it usually was.

That's when it happened. Naruto broke from the conversation with the Kyuubi and quickly slapped the teme on his arm. He shot up with a kunai at her throat until he looked down at their wet sheets.

Naruto grimaced, the baby did not like what the energy was doing, not one single bit!

"AWAKE! FIRE! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!"

Sasuke jerked his head to the window where the call was being repeated over and over. Naruto hissed in pain and curled over her stomach. The baby needed to calm the fuck down!

"_Is it the Kyuubi already?"_ Naruto shook her head and inhaled through gritted teeth.

"_The baby doesn't like that energy, and that energy is what's causing the riot outside."_ Sasuke paled and quickly moved toward the prepared pack they had for when the baby came.

"_Then we get you out of the village,"_ the teme scooped her up into his arms and proceeded down stairs. The girls were up and looked alarmed.

"_There's a fire?"_ Tinnu asked, _"There's never been a fire in Bree before!"_

"_The dark energy's causing it,"_ Naruto gritted out, _"And the baby's coming,"_

"_What?"_ the girls yelled but Naruto and the teme were already exiting the forge.

"_Keep watch of the shop, someone might try to steal weapons," _the teme stated this as he shifted Naruto in his arms. Gods the baby really did not like what was going on. Then a thought struck her, what if the baby kills itself in all this-this writhing it was doing. What if the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck or something?! Oh gods!

The teme seemed to pick up on her fears and looked at her critically.

"_Can you calm the baby down?" _Naruto shook her head, and they continued to move out of the house, the girls were watching them leave with worry on their faces.

Once they hopped over the wall the teme began to…he began to sing. He was singing that song Aragorn and the girls had been singing. She looked up at him with wide eyes and his face was flushed slightly, he stopped singing and began to glare at her.

"_What?!"_ he snapped and Naruto tried not to laugh but she started to anyways. _"It helps the baby calm down, right?"_ Naruto sobered and nodded. Sasuke set her down so she could walk and hopefully speed up her dilation. It likely wouldn't it work but they could try. He continued his previous singing and Naruto could not help but smile.

The teme had a pretty awful singing voice but he was trying this for the baby, and the language it was in made it pretty regardless of the teme's inability to sing. He was doing this for them, for the baby. Who would have though Uchiha Sasuke would do such a thoughtful thing, even if it was for an unborn child. He glared at her, as if daring her to laugh at him again, so she continued to smile – at least until a contraction hit. She hissed and paused in her walking but began counting in her head. The baby was calming down now, which was good.

Naruto lost count after five hundred and started counting again, but lost it once more. She guessed it was probably thirty minutes between her contractions at the moment, and the farther away they got from the village the better the baby felt, or the calmer it became. Naruto couldn't say what the baby was feeling.

"_Do you think the girls are all right?"_ she asked softly after she lost count again.

"_Most likely,"_ they then continued on the way they had been walking – with Sasuke trying to sing and Naruto counting between her contractions. By her third one they figured they were far enough away from the village.

The teme handed her the paint can and she began drawing the array while the teme set up a rock for her and blankets in what would be the middle of the array. She'd paint over them since they both knew it was only one child, though they still weren't sure about the sex of the baby. The teme was really only good at checking the baby's vitals, he couldn't determine anything else though. As they waited for the paint to dry, Naruto walked around the clearing and had Sasuke count between her contractions until the seal was weak enough that Kurama would try and make a break for it.

Gods, it was going to be a long night – or was it already morning?

* * *

_**3017 September, 30**_

There had been no attempts on their shop and once dawn broke Minuial and her sisters went outside to assess the damage. Curiously, the damage had all been done to the inn. How strange. A hobbit room had been broken into and the stable had been set on fire which caused all the animals within it to run away. It looked like Bill Ferny was the only one with any ponies left in the whole of Bree, and it was a miserable creature, half-starved and horribly abused.

It was while they were assessing the damage that they came upon their uncle and hobbits despairing about what happened the night before. Minuial chewed at her lip, it was clear they wanted to leave Bree in a hurry but now they couldn't do that thanks to the raid.

"_Nee-chan, why do they want to leave so bad?"_ Minuial asked quietly in a mix of sindarin and japense but with westron sentence formation.

"_It's part of Ojisan's mission, I think,"_

"_Ojisan looks stressed," _Tinnu chipped in as she regarded the hobbits and her uncle.

"_We should help them!"_ Minuial stated and her sisters were nodding with her, but Dawn was also frowning.

"_I don't know how much we **can **help, Minu. At this rate they will lose whatever advantaged they hoped to gain by leaving early, and their exit will be very public."_ Minuial frowned with her twin and tried to think of anyway they could help them. The hobbits had talked about being pursued the other day and they were really afraid of their chasers, though she couldn't blame them. The black riders creeped her out!

"_I suppose I could ask Ojisan if he would like me to cast an illusion to make people think they were going out of the village a certain way, when really they're going another way," _Dawn mused with her eyes narrowed slightly.

Tinnu was chewing her bottom lip in thought when suddenly and idea came to her, _"That's a good idea, but we can do even more good!"_

Minuial looked at her twin in confusion until she caught her sister's conspiratorial smile, then Minuial's eyes widened and she began to chuckle, or cackle as their father might say. Oh, that was perfect, and a perfect test too!

"_Nee-chan, you go ask Ojisan if he'd like that help, but then…"_ Minuial shared a look with her twin and their mischievous smiles were mirror images.

"_but then we follow them"_ Tinnu began.

"_and protect them from the shadows!"_Minuial finished. She felt nervous for a second that Dawn would shut them down, but then Nee-chan began to smile with them. They might not have as much in common with their Nee-chan, but she had the same thirst for adventure that they did, she wanted to test her skills as much as they did. Dawn was like them in all the ways they needed to convince her to come with them on this mission, if only they could convince her to help them with pranks and other fun things.

"_Okay, sounds good. Because we all know Ojisan would never allow it, and Kaasan and Tousan haven't come home yet, in fact I can feel the kyuubi's chakra still fighting to break out."_

The sisters all nodded their heads in unison. They were going to help, whether their help was wanted or not! Everyone better believe it.

…

Sasuke didn't know how many hours it had been. The Kyuubi started to fight a few hours before dawn, but the dobe had been dialating for hours prior to that. Had all the labors been this long before, and had the dobe ever been as vocal and harassing?

Sasuke ignored the hundredth threat of castration and focused on pushing more chakra into the array. Sasuke looked up at the position of the sky and grimaced, it was nearly mid-day. What did that make it, at least eight hours of labor?

Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked back down at the dobe and almost cried in relief. The baby was crowning at last. _"Almost there Dobe, almost there!"_

"_Shut the fuck up Teme! You come here and birth a baby on your own and—"_

"_Breathe, dobe!"_ the blonde sucked in a deep breath and began pushing again while glaring at him vehemently. It was actually a little intimidating with her face so red and her hair sticking to her face from sweat. The sheer agony she was in also added to the glare's potency.

"_We are never having another child!"_

Sasuke chose not to respond to that lest bad memories be brought up, but it was ultimately the dobe who had wanted to have the baby. Sasuke put up with the verbal abuse for what felt like another hour until the baby was completely free, and look at that, it was a boy!The dobe began swaddling the baby in a spare blanket and after another push the placenta spilled out onto the array. Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the sight of it but then went back to pushing chakra into the seal.

The dobe rested heavily against her rock and shut her eyes for a moment. She looked thoroughly exhausted, but that was understandable.

Before long, Sasuke was able to deactivate the array, and he quickly sagged down to the ground. Gods was he exhausted.

"_Oi, Teme!"_ he looked up at her blearily, his head was swimming from the chakra he had used up. She was motioning him over, _"Say hello to Dusk, then you can take a nap," _A nap, that sounded really good. The dobe looked like she could use one too.

Sasuke chuckled and dragged himself to his feet over to sit down beside the exhausted blonde. She showed their son to him and Sasuke smiled down at the little guy. He was kind of cute even with all the birthing fluids and blood still on him.

"_Good job dobe,"_ he whispered and pressed a kiss to the dobe's sweat matted hair. It was an impulsive move and he felt confused by it. He wasn't sure why exactly he had done that, he wasn't teasing her. Naruto looked over at him in shock but then smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. Well, if she could take it in stride so could he.

"_Well, aren't you affectionate?"_

"_Hn"_

…_.._

It seemed they had slept too late, it was past dusk and it had grown cold, but their bodies seemed to have kept the new born warm. The baby was now screaming, and Naruto drowsily looked down at it. It was probably hungry. She pulled her dress off her shoulder and brought the baby to her breast, quickly the little babe began to suckle and Naruto couldn't help but smile.

She then nudged her husband with her foot. Heh-heh, husband. He was her husband, the teme was hers. It was oddly pleasant, her teme, her husband. Yeah, she liked how that sounded. No more chasing him around the world. She smiled softly.

He groaned and slowly looked over at her with a glare. _"How could you not wake up when he was screaming?"_ she asked with as much sarcasm as she could muster, the teme glared harder at her.

"_Well excuse me, dobe, I just let out copious amounts of my chakra for eight hours straight."_ Naruto raised an eyebrow, oh he was going to bitch about the array? Please!

She scoffed. "_I was in excruciating pain for those hours, teme!"_

"_I think I passed out when you were giving birth to the twins, dobe"_ he refuted but sighed and laid back down. "_I can't wait for the girls to be old enough to help with this,"_ he added quietly.

"_Who said we were going to do this again!?"_ Naruto snapped but instantly regretted asking that question due to the rather salacious smirk on the teme's face.

"_I don't know, pupil of the perverted sage. I see only two roads. Either we start using skins again or we both become celibate," _he was smirking still, completely confident though fatigue was clear on his face.

Skins, ugh! She hated when they used those, if felt so weird and the simple fact that it was usually from freshly skinned game; she shuddered. Though the other side of the coin was being celibate, she had tried that but… Naruto sighed and supposed she'd be having babies until menopause thankfully started – or not thankfully, Tsunade-baachan made it sound horrible.

"_I hate you,"_ Naruto hissed and then looked back down at her nursing child. _"You're a hungry guy, aren't you?"_ she asked rhetorically and Sasuke looked up at them. His expression was unreadable for a moment but then a softness came over his features.

"_You look beautiful," _he whispered before realized what he said and turned his head to the other side.

Naruto ducked her head and felt her face heat up. The teme thought she was beautiful, even with her hair matted with sweat and a baby at her teat? Her stomach fluttered about awkwardly and she looked back down at the baby who finally stopped suckling. She pulled back up her dress and brought the baby close to her body.

She had a new baby. The baby she had hoped would distract her from Konoha. She smiled slightly and brushed her thumb against the babe's cheek.

It all felt new somehow. Her relationship with the teme was changing, and though it certainly scared her, she was excited too. She never would have thought him to be as good of a father as he was, or as good of a husband. To think, they had been trying to kill each other before they came here. She shook her head and lay down beside her husband_, her_ teme.

"_Be my human pillow?"_ she asked, and partly demanded.

"_We could go home,"_ the teme retorted and Naruto scoffed.

"_Yeah, I still can't really feel my lower half and you're Chakra-Exhaustion Man, we will definitely make it home,"_ she rolled her eyes and shook her head while she spoke.

"_Be careful you might die from sarcasm,"_ the teme joked, much to her astonishment.

Naruto glared at him for a beat and then blurted out, _"Just be my human pillow, damn it!"_ he chuckled but moved closer. Naruto set her head on his shoulder and put the baby on the teme's stomach but with Naruto's stomach acting as a railing/windbreaker of sorts. They both had their arms around the baby. Naruto watched as the newborn began to nod off again and smiled as she too nodded off.

…

Tinnu could see the nice warm fire from her uncle's camp but they were a good distance away so that they wouldn't be caught by anyone. They couldn't really talk lest Ojisan hear them with those bat ears of his. She rolled her eyes and began to sign to her sisters; they caught it in the dim moonlight.

Tousan had taught them the Uchiha Police Corps sign language, but Tinnu and Minuial had added some of their own signs so they could discreetly prank their family. Though right now they were just figuring out who had which shift for watch.

Once that was figured out, Tinnu took out some of her rations from the storage scroll, she was in charge of it because Minuial lost things and Dawn was the slowest out of them. They were trying to be practical, Tinnu was more likely to dodge attacks and thus not lose the scroll like Dawn would if attacked.

Tinnu munched on the stale bread and sighed. It would have to do, but it wasn't nearly as good as the soup they had had yesterday. They couldn't risk a fire or anything, it kind of sucked, but then this must be what it was like to be ninja, ninja from the Elemental Lands. That was an exciting thought; they were fully acting out their heritage, and using the skills they had been trained in their whole lives. Tinnu couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

There was a sudden breeze and she pulled her cloak tighter around her to stave off the chill. She then used her chakra to stay stuck to the tree as leaning against. She had found a really good spot. There were two branches that left the tree fairly close to each other so that she was nestled between the branches and the tree, except there was one side she could tip over and die from, but that was what the chakra was for!

Secure in her tree she began to nod off. Tinnu had the last shift for watch and she was thankful for it at the moment. She stifled her yawn and drifted off completely.

…..

It was late in the evening when Sasuke and Nauto hobbled back to Bree. They were still so exhausted. They could not wait to sleep in their own bed instead of the forest floor, except when they got there, there was something wrong.

The twin's weapons were not haphazardly strewn about the place, and Dawn's bow was missing from its hook. The dobe had her brow furrowed and she began to check the cupboards while she expertly cradled the newborn against her body.

"_The seals are gone, all of them are gone…"_

Sasuke clenched his teeth closed together. He then noticed that the loaf of bread was missing too, he quickly moved to their salted and dried meat store and found it cleaned out. What the hell!?

He could hear the dobe moving around up stairs and Sasuke quickly moved to join her. His chest felt tight and his stomach was all in knots. By the looks of things….the girls had left. But why? And to where? There was no note that he could see, and the girls' beds were rolled up and their clothes were missing.

"_Why?"_ Naruto asked to the cold empty room.

Why indeed. Sasuke glared at the empty room. This wasn't right. _"I'm going to look for Strider,"_

"_I'm coming with you,"_ Sasuke whirled around.

"_You need your rest dobe."_

"_So do you"_ she paused for a moment, _"Besides, I have Kurama, he's helping me get back on my feet,"_ the fox didn't like her saying his name aloud but she just ignored him.

Sasuke glared at the dobe for a moment but then conceded. Together, using each other as support, they made it to the _Pony_, but upon entry Naruto gasped.

"_What?" _Sasuke snapped as he scanned the room. He didn't see Aragorn in his normal corner of the tavern. Strange, where was he, he wasn't supposed to leave until that Gandalf fellow arrived or some hobbit…. Realization dawned on him, the hobbit had arrived, hence why he had eaves dropped the other day. Sasuke berated himself for not realizing sooner.

"_Kage level energy, back room,"_ Sasuke whirled his head around to face the dobe in shock.

"_How is that possible?" _ he could feel it then, he wasn't so adept at sensing energies as miss sage mode, but with patience – and if he was actively trying to sense – he could.

"_Don't know, have you found Ranger-san?"_ the tavern occupants were looking at them strangely but Sasuke couldn't care less. He was more preoccupied with the fact that his daughters were missing, and possibly followed after their "Ojisan."

"_He's likely on his mission, the hobbit he was looking for came yesterday,"_ it was silent between them as they sat down lest they collapse in their exhaustion.

The dobe had her brow furrowed and she looked confused and perhaps a little alarmed. _"Teme…."_ She started hesitantly, hmm…why would she do that? _"What if they went after Ranger-san?"_

Sasuke's stomach dropped, it had been at the back of his mind but now the dobe was expressing the possibility too. They all knew that Aragorn was on a dangerous mission, the girls wouldn't dare, would they? But then looking at their parents…how could they not resist the chance: to test their skill, to aid their uncle, to be heroines and rebels at the same time?

"_Can you sense for them?"_

The dobe glared at him, _"What do you think I've been doing?"_ the dobe then made a triumphant noise, _"They're east, somewhere…I'm not familiar with the land"_

Damn it, they would need to find someone familiar with the land, or at least figure out where Aragorn was going. Sasuke caught Nob as he passed by, "Where's Butterbur, we need to talk to him," the hobbit looked at him with wide eyes until he shakily pointed to the backroom…the room where the kage level energy was.

Sasuke narrowed his gaze at the door but shakily stood up. Damn chakra exhaustion. Even if they could find a guide or learn where the ranger was going, neither of them were in any shape to follow them. They probably wouldn't be in shape for at least a day, probably two.

"_What's the plan, we wait?"_ Naruto asked loudly when Sasuke sat back down heavily. He sighed and nodded his head. At this point a tall elderly man wearing gray robes and a light blue hat left the back room with Butterbur behind him. Butterbur's eyes alighted upon them and then he noticed the newborn in Naruto's arms.

The elderly man followed the rotund man over and Butterbur greeted them cheerfully, "Why Dû, Lady Arad. You've had your child! Congratulations, another girl is it?"

"No we had a boy this time," the dobe answered with a smile.

"Oh that is wonderful!"

"Yes it is, but…" Naruto gave him a sickly sweet smile, "You see, our girls ran after Strider when he left, would you happen to know where he's going?"

The elderly man stiffened and straightened up, as if to be more intimidating. Clearly he knew something, Sasuke narrowed his gaze at the man, he met the stare with his own glare. It almost felt like the man was trying to intimidate him into submission or something, in fact he gave off an aura suspiciously like KI, though it was nothing for someone like Sasuke. He was taught by the most insane and threatening men in the elemental countries, all of them happened to born in bred in Konoha but that was beside the point.

"Uh, I'm sorry Lady Arad I wouldn't know that, why did they go after that unsavory fellow?" Butterbur looked at them suspiciously through one eye, almost as if he was gauging them.

Sasuke shifted his glare to the barkeep which caused the man to shift uncomfortably. "If you looked beneath the beneath you'd realize how wrong you are," Sasuke hissed before he sighed and rubbed at his temples. His chakra exhaustion was making it hard to concentrate, and he could not let his friend and pseudo-brother be slandered like that. Aragorn was more honorable than anyone seemed to give him credit for, just like Itachi...

"Whatever, it's not like we can go after them tonight; come on Bastard" the dobe staggered to her feet and Sasuke quickly lent her his support, which earned him a toothy grin from her. "I know the general direction so that's something at least,"

Sasuke noted the grey robed man look miffed, and as they started home the elderly man began to follow them. Was he put out that he couldn't intimidate them?

"What?" Sasuke hissed over his shoulder but did not stop walking home. The old man did not stop following them either.

"How do you know where they are, why are you interested, why would your daughter's follow after Strider?"

"Why should we answer you gramps?" Naruto shot back and gave a sigh of relief when they came in sight of their door.

"Do you know how many people would kill for the vague information you just disclosed?" the elderly man asked in a clipped tone. His big bushy brows were furrowed - he could give the Green Beasts a run for their money with those eyebrows. He must be more tired than he thought to think of those green headaches.

"We can handle ourselves gramps," Naruto retorted while Sasuke shot the man his darkest glare. If not for the chakra exhaustion, his eternal sharingan would be out. He did not like people snooping around their family and asking so many questions, he also did not like being reminded of those eccentric taijutsu freaks.

"Are you so sure?"

Sasuke growled along with the dobe, "Listen, old man, either you tell us something productive or get lost. Why should we tell you anything about Strider and our daughters, hmm?"

"Because I do know where they are going and why they are going there. I'm concerned by the fact that you want to know this information." There was no lie in the man's aged face, of course he could have removed all of his tells but how was Sasuke to know?

"Does this have anything to do with that really foul energy yesterday, 'cause we want nothing to do with that thing," the elderly man looked taken aback by the dobe's statement.

"Foul energy? You can sense energies?" Sasuke and the dobe nodded and the man's bushy eyebrows rose close to his hairline. "How curious…."

"Listen, gramps, I gave birth today, and my hubby had a battle of wills with a demon, so…we want to get to sleep before we chase after our daughters, and drag them kicking and screaming home, we clear?!"

"Did you just call me hubby?" Naruto rolled her eyes at him and then gave the elderly man a dead pan look. She called him hubby?! He really needed sleep, he was imagining things now.

"So you are just after your daughters, and…" the elderly man looked at Sasuke with a furrowed brow, "the immense dark energy I felt this morning, was that the demon you fought."

"Yep, so bye-bye gramps, we're beat," Naruto chirped and Sasuke sighed as he rubbed at his face tiredly while the dobe waved the elderly man away, but the old man was persistent.

Sasuke had had enough of this. He started to turn away and began to grumble, "Let's just rest up and then get our girls. And I swear, if Aragorn let this happen—"

"Please, Mr. Ranger would send them home, and they'd just sneak after him. It's his fault, he should visit them more," She muttered as she interrupted him, she then glared at the man who was staring at them in shock.

"Listen gramps, we're serious, leave or we're kicking your ass. We need our sleep."

"I'll be your guide, come to the _Pony_ when you are rested up and ready to leave."

Sasuke glared at the man while the dobe gave him an incredulous look. "Just like that?"

"I realize your sincerity, and your daughters are in danger. Besides, I could use individuals of your skills," Sasuke's gaze narrowed further at the man's words. he did not like the sound of this.

"We aren't weapons for hire, old man, now leave."

"Teme, he says he can guide us, besides, he feels like a good guy," Sasuke directed his glare to the dobe who just raised an eyebrow. Of course she would say that and believe that. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

It was at this opportune moment that Dusk chose cry, well, more like howl. "Awww! Come on, I just want to sleep," the dobe whined.

The elderly man began to chuckle, "I shall let you to that, but let me leave with this: I can be your guide."

"Whatever," Naruto checked to see if Dusk had soiled himself but clearly he hadn't so she started to slip her dress over her shoulder. Sasuke promptly shut the door in the elderly man's face and guided his wife to bed while she nursed their child. Gods was this a long day. The girls were going to be in so much trouble when they finally caught up to them. And so help him, if something had happened….if not for the chakra exhaustion, his eyes would have bled red and begun to spin.

* * *

A suivre

* * *

**A/N **Yeah, first chapter of the sequel! Sorry I am so fried after all my essay finals, so if its a little weird...that probably explains that. Umm someone asked for clearer page breaks and I've been trying that, i think I figured it out though, so let me know if it works. Anyways...updating will be slower or chapters shorter... My plan is for the next chapter to end with Rivendel and then after that it will be like the "many meetings" and "council of Elrond" chapters.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it ~ with love, depressed children.


	2. Chapter 2: Journey to Weathertop

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings or Naruto; both works belong to their respective creators and publishers. I gain nothing but writing and editing experiences from this fanfic.

_**Full Summary:**_ Ultimately, they would not change what happened for anything in the world. At long last they had a family, a family both had dreamed for since their genin days. Neither of them ever expected to have children together, nor let their pasts go. But here they were: content, and in peace at long last. But now they find their family, their peace, breaking apart due to the struggles of the free peoples against the Power in the East. Will they forsake the world they have so few ties to, or will they become weapons of change? _**WARNINGS:**_ OC's, character death (not a likable character), gender-bending.

**Warnings for this chapter: **breast-feeding, Naruto being Naruto the Pupil of the Perverted Sage, and F-bombs courtesy of Sasuke.

_**A/N:**_ I've finally updated. I wrote an outline for this at the beginning of summer and have only recently gotten to write it. Again there is dialogue and even description from _the Fellowship_ so I do not own that, though they are pretty short parts. Also, I have taken creative liberty of what Gandalf does, though I am using the timeline found in the appendices to figure out where he was when. Third, I began writing this before Sasuke became a good guy, so it will be AU from the current manga. Finally, if you're reading both versions of the sequel you will notice more and more overlap especially as the story progresses—don't think I'm copping out, just some scenes need to be a specific way for plot and the story. Anyways, thank you to those that have reviewed, and put this on favorite or alert. Please enjoy ~ with love, depressedchildren **Edited: 8/28/2013 **based on critics from vincent1875

Key:

"Text" westron language

_"Text"_ either japanese or sindarin (both in the case of the girls)

_Kusanagi_ a name/title (i.e. _Prancing Pony_)

* * *

_Chapitre 2  
_

* * *

_**3017 October 1**_

Sasuke was walking through the main road of Bree, yet it did not look like Bree should. No, the sky was blood red while the rest of world was like the negative of a photo. He anticipated seeing his family—his aunts and uncles, cousins, and children—being slaughtered in the alleyways, but no…it was desolate. There was no one at all in Bree.

He slowly looked around as his feet carried him toward his shop. There were smashed in windows and crumbling walls, but no people, no corpses, no bones even. He came to their forge, to his home of fifteen years. It was empty, everywhere, no corpses, just nothing.

As he moved up to the room he shared with the dobe a fire started, he saw it edging in closer around him. He jumped out of the window and landed in the middle of the village. It was all on fire, but again there was no sign of people, no screams—just the crackling of flames.

He looked toward the Eastern gate and froze. Black shapes marched forward, and just above them like some sort of rising sun was an eye wreathed in flames. It stared at him, stared _into_ him, into his soul! Sasuke fell to his knees and stared up at the eye. He was trembling as its gaze tore through him and broke down his very being.

The marching shapes drew closer and he was able to make out the grotesque features of the things. It was an army of the strangest looking things he had ever seen, but he recalled Aragorn's description of these creatures, these orcs.

Sasuke watched as their ranks descended upon the desolate town, but what horrified him the most was the spears at the front of the line. There, skewered upon them, was the family he had built in Middle Earth; Aragorn, the dobe, Minuial, Tinnu, Dawn, even Haldarad who he was going to begrudgingly accept as his son-in-law.

One of the leading orcs tossed something at him and Sasuke numbly watched as it hit him in the chest. When he looked down he covered his mouth to stifle his scream or sob—he wasn't sure what noise he would have made, but there was his newborn son with his head caved in.

They were all dead…all dead. And a voice, cold and rasping, whispered to him _Flee or fight, war comes from the East._

Sasuke shot awake and looked over at the dobe who was still sound asleep. Sasuke breathed heavily as he clutched at his head while he shook away the remnants of his nightmare. That had just been a dream. He shuddered and looked blearily around their cold dark room.

He needed fire, he thought suddenly, as if a healthy fire in the hearth would take away the nightmare. He set his bare feet onto the icy cold floor hurried toward the hearth. He felt too drained to start a fire with his chakra and so he clumsily picked up a flint stone. His hands were twitching and shaky but at last a spark caught and he watched as the wood in the fireplace was slowly consumed.

What the hell kind of dream was that? Sasuke looked back over at the dobe who was still snoring away and then he looked over toward the cradle where Dusk still slept. Sasuke took a moment longer before he stood up shakily and walked over to the cradle and stared down at his son…he had a son at last.

He loved his daughters so much but it was almost a relief to have son. He wouldn't have to fend off suitors or be traumatized with talk of the Red Sister. He could almost see himself teaching Dusk how to fend off fangirls, and being confided to about the boy's first crush. He imagined being able to do with his son all the things he missed out on doing with his own father. A though he was terrified of screwing it up, he was looking forward to it too.

But fear clutched at him and he kept whispering the words, what if? What if war came and his family was killed. He was relying on Aragorn to fight off this enemy in the East, but was that enemy so simple to defeat? What was so important about Aragorn's mission; could it be that if he failed that army of orcs would fall upon Bree?

Sasuke gripped more tightly to the cradle and stared down at his son. Other than his Uchiha coloring, he looked exactly like the dobe, the male dobe. Sasuke shook his head, it was so hard to believe she had been a man before, but then again, she had always been the dobe to him, nothing more than a thorn in the side—at least until she gave him children. He stared back over at his wife, his dobe, his.

He closed his eyes tiredly and wondered if he had heard her correctly last night and she had called him hubby, his mouth twitched upward and he scoffed slightly in amusement. He was hers and she was his, just as they had stated in their wedding vows so many years ago. They whispered it to each other like a chant when they were without their memories…when they were still a young family.

Sasuke clenched his eyes closed and moved away from the cradle so that he might lean against the wall. He took a shaky breath and tried to calm down, but he couldn't help but wonder what he, or _they_ had done for the girls to run away from them. Neither of them had parents to raise them to adulthood, and Sasuke had been so young when his parents had died. Gods… had they screwed up in their parenting? Why did they have to run away?

No, he shook his head, no they didn't run away because of their parenting, they ran away for adventure. Sasuke repeated this to himself several times as he listened to the autumn night noises and the crackle of the fire in the hearth. That was when he heard a floorboard creak.

His eyes shot open in an instant and he withdrew a kunai from a nearby drawer. He had to resist the reflex of activating his sharingan, for his body could not handle the drain if he did. Sasuke then crept slowly across the room and waited by the door. He glanced over at the dobe to see if she had heard the creak but she was still fast asleep, perhaps the fox was recuperating itself and her, thus had put them into a deep sleep.

Sasuke waited as he listened to someone approaching their room. He slid into crouch so he would not be spotted right away. He remained calm and focused as he waited. At last the intruder pushed open the door. Part of Sasuke wished it was the girls, but another part recalled what that old man—whose eyebrows Sasuke hoped were a figment of imagination induced by his exhaustion—said about people ready to kill for the information they had.

Sasuke's fain hope died as a grisly man entered Sasuke's room. The former nuke-nin immediately recognized him as the Southern man who communicated frequently with Ferny. Sasuke didn't hesitate to reach up and grab the man's neck before flipping him over and pinning him to the ground with a kunai at his throat. His head spun due to his exhaustion but he had stunned the man.

The dobe was up at last, but so too was Dusk, who had awakened when Sasuke slammed the other man into the ground.

"_What the hell?"_ the dobe hissed as she moved to pick Dusk up and soothe him back to sleep. Sasuke just glared down at the still stunned man.

"Give me one reason not to slit your throat," he growled which caused the man's eyes to widen. He sputtered like a fish before Sasuke closed his eyes tiredly and deftly struck the man in the temple with the end of his kunai.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he stood up, but he quickly stumbled backward into the doorjamb as his head spun.

"_He was after that vague information we have, wasn't he?" _the dobe had her serious face on and Sasuke nodded slowly. _"Well, there goes leaving Dusk with a neighbor," _Sasuke glanced over at the dobe. That had been one of their ideas for what to do with the newborn, but both knew they didn't want to be parted from their son. _"That also means I am going with you," _the dobe added with a hard look in her eyes. Sasuke sighed tiredly and tipped his head forward.

That was true, Dusk would be used as leverage if Naruto did stay in Bree and Sasuke went on to pursue the girls by himself. _"So we all leave then?"_ He asked tiredly as he pushed himself off the doorjamb and moved to sit at the end of the bed and stare into the fire.

"_Yes," _the dobe replied before holding out a still crying Dusk, _"rock him while I tie up this bastard,"_ she gestured to the unconscious brute with her head while Sasuke took his son from her and cradled him gently in his arms.

While the dobe was tying up the man she looked back toward the fire, _"So you've been up for a while?"_ she asked. This was her roundabout way of asking if he was alright, and it suited them just fine.

Sasuke just sighed and continued to rock Dusk. She glared at him and tugged at the rope in her hands, _"Fine, be that way,"_ she then stood up slowly, wincing slightly, before looking around the room.

"_I'm going to make some sealing paper since the girls cleaned us out of everything. I can make some new seals when we camp and take breaks, but you know how hard making the paper is,"_ she stated with a sigh. Sasuke just nodded his head and made a noncommittal sound. Dusk was calm now and blinked up at him with tears at the corners of his eyes before they closed fully.

Sasuke stood up slowly and shakily moved toward the cradle. The dobe was watching him with a hard look on her face, "_Teme, sleep, I'll get us packed. It'll be sunrise in three or four hours, and it would be best to leave as early as possible before more people try to attack us."_

Sasuke made another noncommittal noise as he set Dusk down in his cradle. When he straightened he gestured to their unconscious intruder, _"And what about him?"_

"_I'll string him up outside," _the smirk on the dobe's face made Sasuke shudder, but not in fear, rather in mutual sadistic satisfaction. He made a beckoning motion and the dobe sauntered over, her smirk turning into a sly smile that he mimicked.

He set one hand on her waist and the other cupped her cheek, _"Good," _he murmured as they met halfway and kissed each other.

When she pulled back, the dobe was still smiling, _"Now get to sleep"_ she motioned him away and even swatted at his backside to get him moving. Sasuke shook his head but his body was ready to crash if he stayed up much longer. His chakra had only slightly replenished and he was already pushing himself. With a sigh he lay down and watched as the dobe dragged the unconscious man out of their room. Let that be a warning to all of them, he thought to himself still smiling sadistically. Gods did he love when the dobe acted like that.

…

Aragorn moved slowly around the perimeter of the camp. There was something telling him they were being watched but he wasn't certain. He had heard, smelt, and seen nothing out of the ordinary. Yesterday had been pleasant travel despite the slow and disturbing start, though he was thankful for Dawn's assistance at diverting the townspeople's attention. Her illusion had even fooled Ferny, which was a blessing—to be sure. With the slight lead they had received the previous night, they might reach the end of the Chetwood by the next morning and fully enter the Midgewater Marshes by that noon.

Aragorn looked around once more before he decided to wake the hobbits so they could prepare their breakfast. He smiled fondly and shook his head. Hobbits…such amazing folk, though they might seem obsessed with food, they could be strong and fearless, even forgoing food when the situation called upon it. Gandalf was rightly fascinated by the small people.

Aragorn briefly wondered how his blacksmith friend was. Had the child been born healthy? Was it a girl or perhaps they had finally had a boy. He chuckled to himself as he stirred the hobbits, it would be nice to have a nephew to teach hunting and marksmanship. Aragorn was still not comfortable with his nieces being warriors, yes it was in their culture but it wasn't in his. He knew in Rohan women were taught to wield swords, but they were never truly expected to fight like his nieces were.

It wasn't proper, and though their culture is different they are part of Middle Earth. Part of Aragorn wanted to demand his friend to make his daughters act like they were part of Middle Earth. The twins were already getting quite old by human standards to be unwed. Dawn at least had a serious suitor, but the twins seemed to drive away all potential husbands. He shook his head slowly at that.

If only there were more unwed, young dúnedain for his nieces to marry.

Minuial stood up slowly from her crouch and stretched her arms over her head. Ojisan was now waking up the hobbits so his attention was pulled partially away from his surroundings; which meant this was the perfect time to activate the seal she had finished at last! Tinnu helped of course, but Minuial had placed the finishing touches on it.

She beckoned her sisters over and then gestured for their wrists to be bared. The seal she and her twin had made was one their mother showed them several years ago. Kaasan said the seal was like the seal the famous Tsunade-baachan wore to appear young. This seal held a henge and then cycled back in the excess charka to their reserves, which was where their seal differed from the original. It had taken them months to tweak it but at last they had completed it.

Minuial carefully drew the seal onto the inner part of their wrists before she ran through the necessary hand signs. She then did her own and at last they were all disguised. It would take a sequence of hand signs to remove their henge but each of them knew it.

Minuial smiled as she moved around the forest as what appeared to be a grasshopper. Her twin was dragonfly while Dawn assumed the illusion of a field mouse. It would be in this manner that they would follow their Ojisan and the hobbits. Now they could follow them much closer than they had yesterday. This was going to be awesome!

…

Naruto smiled triumphantly as the completed storage scroll she had started working on that morning. She was still going to prank the girls so bad when they returned, but in the meantime she could work on restoring their seal supply. She had a huge roll of newly made sealing paper and had already started making exploding tags, but it would be nothing compared the variety of secrecy seals she had made with the girls.

She sighed but stood up from her kneeling position and moved around her home, _their_ home of fifteen years. Fifteen out of the seventeen years, she shook her head in disbelief. It was so hard to believe so much time had passed, and she had foolishly missed two, almost three, of those years

She gritted her teeth and shook her head. Yes she was a fool to have missed any time with her family but she wouldn't make the same mistake again, not with any other children she had. And now she had to get her girls back. She had wondered if perhaps she had failed them and they had wanted to leave her. Perhaps they hadn't forgiven her for leaving them all those years ago? Naruto closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to get rid of her self-doubt, but it wasn't working.

Were they bad parents, was she a bad mother now that she had her memories? Naruto gnawed at her bottom lip in worry as she looked around the shop. She moved over to the display counter and brushed her fingertips across it.

She never had any real guardians or parents growing up so she couldn't help but worry that she was doing a poor job. She wanted to confide in someone about her fears, but the teme was probably worrying about the same thing and then they would both just discourage each other or say some hallow words. Naruto inhaled sharply and held her eyes closed tightly because she realized she needed her Kaasan and Tousan. She needed to talk to them again and have them assuage her fears, but their chakra had long since extinguished from the seal.

Who was there to comfort her? Kurama would just laugh and tell her she was doing a horrible job, and unlike the teme she had no one close to confide in. Ranger-san was a friend to her but he wasn't as close to her as he was to Sasuke. _They_ bonded as men but Naruto wasn't allowed to do that anymore, not in this world where women were care providers and baby makers. She couldn't even confide in the other mothers of Bree because they were all the same, sniveling and simple women. They would be appalled by the fact she was teaching her daughters to fight, and they would be even more appalled that she had the teme "henpecked."

Naruto's lips twitched up at that thought, "henpecked," how pejorative, but it did make her feel better thinking of the teme that way. They all knew she wore the figurative pants in the family and surprisingly the teme was fine with that, maybe because he was the only real man now. She rolled her eyes, if she was still a man they would be fighting over the "pants" constantly and any foreplay would be a full out brawl to beat the other into submission. But, since it was clear with her being a woman what was stuck where, she could be as dominate in the bedroom—and outside of it too—as she wanted while letting the teme have the illusion of dominance. Hmm…speaking of sex there were a few more icha icha positions they had yet to try…

"_It's sunrise, don't even think about it."_

Naruto whipped her head around to see Sasuke looking at her with a deadpan expression with Dusk cradled in his arms. Naruto looked at him in confusion, what wasn't she supposed to try? It's not like the teme could read her mind or anything. However, the teme's expression turned almost salacious as he smirked at her; _"Besides, aren't you still sore from childbirth?"_

Naruto wasn't sure how her saliva went down the wrong tube, but it did and there she was coughing and sputtering and blushing bright red. Oh dear gods, he could read her mind! This was bad!

"_Don't worry dobe, I can't read your mind," _he muttered as he slapped at her back to dislodge the spit while expertly cradling the baby with one hand. By the fourth child they had to be pros, plus having twins helped their one-armed tasking. _"I just know that look very well, Pupil of the Perverted Sage."_

When Naurto finally got her breathing under control she turned around toward him and glared or tried to. Judging by the slight quirking of the teme's lips, he found her attempt amusing.

"_Shut up and go get some rations from Butterbur, I'll pack up what we need from here,"_ she ordered, but the teme was still smirking, _"Give me Dusk, and leave your weapon's pouch here. I'll restock it."_

"_Yes dear,"_ he replied sardonically as he deposited their baby and his weapons' pouch into her arms. He then turned on his heel to leave, though Naruto wondered if that really was all sarcasm, if perhaps he had actually meant the "dear." She quickly shook her head and slapped her face with her free arm.

The day the teme was affectionate would be the day the sun froze—yesterday was just an anomaly brought on by exhaustion and the relief of having a son, yes that had to be it. There was no chance that the teme could actually be…be in love with or affectionate for Naruto and just Naruto alone. No…she, she was just the mother of his children, that was why he tolerated her, yep, that was it.

But as she had said time and again, their relationship was changing and it frightened her. If Sasuke was genuinely being affectionate toward her, what exactly did that mean? It didn't match up with the teme from their past in the Elemental Lands, and that teme she knew so well she could anticipate his moves, which was comforting. Now he was becoming more of a mystery which both excited and scared her. Then again, there was also the part of her that _really_ liked being treated all lovingly and gently.

Gah! Naruto shook her head violently and began packing up what weapons should could with one arm. It would be best to take all that she could with them, who knew if they would be returning to the Bree.

… … …oh shit.

Naruto continued to stare ahead of her in shock, even as Dusk began to stir in her arm and fuss. Oh gods, they might not return to this place…they might not return to Bree, for whatever reason that was. They had raised a family in this shop and forge, and leaving it was such a frightening thought.

She could remember Dawn taking her first steps right behind that counter, and she could remember the time the twins got into the cupboards and spilled ink everywhere. She could remember the first time Haldarad came to their shop and asked for Dawn's hand, only to have the teme scare him away with his spinning red eyes. Naruto remembered when the miller's boy came over for Minuial's hand and her darling girl had set up an elaborate prank that involved pig manure and goose feathers. Oh and Tinnu! When she ordered her suitor to duel her for her hand! All of that had happened within this shop, along with so many other firsts and memories. She couldn't imagine leaving this place for good, she just couldn't…

While Naruto was having her panic attack over leaving Bree and their shop, Sasuke was haggling over the price for a barrel of dried meat and a bushel of apples with Butterbur. He was about to lose his temper with the man; he was far too exhausted to deal with this. Why couldn't the dobe just take care of this, she was the people person, but it really wasn't worth the yelling match to see who would get their rations. Speaking of food, he felt like he could eat half a deer, which would certainly help restore his reserves.

"My goodness, do you really intend to bring that all along with you?" Sasuke turned his head slightly to the side to see the old man with those huge eyebrows. Sasuke's eyes immediately focused in on the white caterpillars attached to the old man's forehead and a twitch began to form under Sasuke's right eye. So, that hadn't been his imagination, damn it.

"Yes, my wife eats a lot," Sasuke replied curtly before turning back to Butterbur who finally conceded to Sasuke's price, since it was for Arad. "Also, do you have any leftover stew or breakfast prepared?" Sasuke asked, however the old man spoke overtop him.

"Y-you are taking your wife with you? What about your newborn child?" the old man looked appalled.

Sasuke just gave the man a blank look, "We had an intruder early this morning, I am not going to risk my only son's life by leaving him here with some stranger."

The old man frowned, "The wilderness is no place for a lady or baby," the old man stated gravely and Sasuke scoffed.

"My wife is no lady, and she'll rip your face off if you try to tell her she can't handle a little wilderness," Sasuke was smirking now as he leaned against the counter he had been haggling over.

At hearing what Sasuke said, Butterbur spluttered in shock and it was music to Sasuke's ears. It seemed the whole of Bree liked to pretend the dobe was just some docile blonde, but they all had seen her beat him up—maybe they just forgot about it when she turned her broad smile onto them. Sasuke chuckled to himself as he motioned the still shocked Butterbur to get his purchase.

"But your baby," the old man seemed even more appalled, perhaps even a little horrified.

"We'll protect it," Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes tiredly. Well the dobe could protect it; he was still facing chakra exhaustion. His reserves were miniscule at the moment, granted it was probably the equivalent of an average civilian raised academy graduate, but that was not enough for long bouts of running or using most of his attacks. Sasuke knew he felt fainter from hunger than from exhaustion at this point, but then again chakra exhaustion did contribute to his hunger. Sighing he looked at the old man who seemed a little troubled.

"Do you have your own horses?" the old man asked after a long moment of silence.

"Even if we did, the fire scared them all away," Sasuke replied calmly, he had heard rumors of the aftermath of the riot the other night, the old man nodded and looked further distressed.

"I am afraid Shadowfax could not carry all of us," the old man murmured to himself and Sasuke shook his head.

"Can it carry two?"

"Yes, but—"

"You'll find my wife and I can keep up with any horse you have," Sasuke replied with a sigh. He was likely going to have to ride with the old man for a day or so until his reserves were restored more. The dobe could run despite having given birth the other day, simply because of the fox. It had likely healed up most the damage caused from childbirth, and she could tap into its chakra to use as she ran.

Sasuke looked sidelong at the old man, he looked affronted by Sasuke's comment. "Shadowfax is the Lord of the Mearas, and one of the fastest horses in all of Middle Earth."

"Does it look like I know what you're saying or care?" Sasuke was too tired to deal with this and he pinched at the bridge of his nose. Thankfully the dobe entered the inn at this point with Dusk in a swaddle and strapped to her chest in a leather baby carrier that Sasuke had made for Dawn over a decade ago.

"All packed," the dobe chirped, "So where's our rations?" and right on cue Butterbur returned rolling in a barrel of dried meat while Nob carried the bushel of apples, and another worker brought out two plates of food.

"Is that for us?" Sasuke hummed in response to the dobe's question and she rolled her eyes at his response. "Shouldn't we get more?" she asked which caused the old man and Butterbur to cough in shock.

"I do not have a carriage," the old man stated in alarm only to be waved off by both Sasuke and the dobe. The worker set the plates down in front of Sasuke and the dobe eyed it like a starved animal.

"We'll just hunt, okay _dobe?_" she glared at him but sighed and nodded before she began to inhale her plate. Sasuke mimicked her and ignored the shocked looks of the Bree-folk and the old man.

"Fine Bastard," she mumbled after her first swallow. Once she was done she rubbed at her slightly large stomach, _"Still hungry,"_ she whined and Sasuke snatched an apple from the bushel to give his bottomless pit for a stomach wife. She grinned at him before biting in while he paid for their meals and rations.

With one hand the dobe pulled out a seal he didn't recognize while the old man and Butterbur continued to look slightly horrified and shocked, either at their table manners or her endearment for him. Nob and the other worker had left as soon as the dobe began to shovel food into her face.

"_Haven't seen this before," _he stated, not caring that their company gave him strange looks for speaking in Japanese.

"_It'll keep the food fresh while storing it. It was seal Ero-sennin taught me while we were on the road…"_ she smile a little sadly at the memory, _"Neh, if we have another son can we name him Jirai—"_

"_Hell no."_

"_Teme!" _ the dobe was pouting at him again, but Sasuke refused to name any of his children after anyone from that land. He wouldn't even name one of his children after Itachi, even though he loved and missed his brother.

The dobe held her pout for a moment longer before her features softened and let out sigh but nodded her head. She then sealed away the food and stood up to cup his face. Again the middle-earthlings around them gaped at what they had seen.

"_I wish you could let go of your hate,"_ the dobe whispered but just shook her head in defeat. Sasuke sighed as well and tipped his head forward, consequently resting his forehead against the dobe's.

"_Why can't you hate them?"_ he asked in return but before the dobe could respond the old man had left his stupor.

"What magic was that?" He asked and looked intently at the scroll in the dobe's hand, "And this language that you speak, what is it? It is most fascinating!"

"Why don't we talk about that on the road?" the dobe suggested as she tucked the storage scroll with their food in Sasuke's tunic. "Now, shall we?" she gestured with her head toward the door of the inn, "Oh, Butterbur, we'll be gone for an indefinite amount of time, could you watch over our shop?"

The barkeep just nodded his head numbly and watched them leave. To Sasuke it appeared the old man was bursting with questions but he was holding them at bay and perhaps some bile too due to their table manners. Sasuke didn't care.

Once outside, the dobe spoke up again, "So, how are we gonna keep people from noticing us leaving?" she asked aloud as she tapped at her chin.

"I can cast an illusion," Sasuke suggested but she immediately turned to look at him incredulously while the old man blinked in surprise.

"Uh huh, that sounds like a great idea chakra-exhaustion-man," the dobe replied sarcastically, "I don't want you passing out," she added with what almost sounded like concern.

Sasuke sighed and leaned against the stable wall while the old man watched them as he retrieved his horse.

"It's that or we leave openly, which do you prefer?" Sasuke snapped back and the dobe sighed.

"I'd rather have you conscious in case we run into trouble, besides you can't move when using _genjutsu_, right?"

"Not if you're proficient enough, but we both know I'll be riding with the old man until my reserves are back up; therefore, I can cast _genjutsu _either way." The dobe was glaring at him while the old man stared at them in alarm.

"Just don't use your eyes to make it, okay, that'll—"

"Drain my chakra faster, I know Idiot," she glared at him before sighing and nodding her head.

"I just don't want you passing out or dying, okay Bastard," she mumbled before adjusting Dusk in his baby carrier. He didn't know what had gotten into her, it was a little annoying but it was also endearing.

The old man was still staring between the two of them, "Forgive me, but you gave birth just the other day."

The dobe looked over at the man blankly, "My mother fought a demon after giving birth to me and after having said demon extracted from her, I think a little running won't hurt me. 'Sides, Mr. Fox healed me up pretty well and I'll just tap into his chakra for a while."

"You're mother survived extraction?" Sasuke had not been aware of this or that it was even possible.

"Yeah, she was that badass!" the old man spluttered at the term the dobe used and she just chuckled. _"By the way, if he ever breaks out while I'm in labor, I know how to seal him so no heroics!" _She gave him a glare and pointed her finger at his face.

"_I'm sorry, what?!"_ Sasuke could not believe his ears. He pushed himself off the stable wall and walked over to the dobe shaking his head,_ "No dobe, you have the necessary equipment me to feed our children, so you will not be giving your soul to any shinigami!"_

She glared back up at him defiantly, _"You're the one who can cook and clean and teach them their letters and numbers! Yeah, I might be good when they're babies, but when they're old…nuh uh!"_

However, before they could get into it any further, the old man spoke up, "Time is pressing; we must leave now." They both turned to glare at him but the old man didn't flinch; instead he mounted his horse, "Are you certain, my Lady, that you do not require a horse and your husband is to ride with me?"

"Yes!" they both replied curtly and Sasuke shook his head as he moved toward the silver, white horse. The old man gestured for him to sit in front of him, though it was clear he'd rather have the dobe in front of him. Glaring at the white-gray horse, he climbed on.

"Okay Old man," the dobe began, "you are going to ride out of here like Bree is going explode with a blast radius of a mile, got it?"

The old man blinked several times in confusion before nodding slowly, the dobe just grinned and then nodded to Sasuke. He shook his head but began to channel his chakra into his hands to create an illusion around them, though he didn't doubt that some of the dobe's exploding tags did have a blast radius that large-she was amazing with fuin that way. Then they were off through the village and out of the gate. The old man made a surprised sound at the fact that the dobe was keeping up with his horse and that the baby was not being jostled or woken from its sleep.

The dobe did have her arms thrown behind her like a true ninja and she used chakra to enhance her speed while reducing jostling. It was a common running practice for when one had to carry an injured teammate. When he shared a smirk with the dobe he noticed a small seal on their son's swaddle. He first wondered what the hell that was, but he also wondered how their child was fairing against the wind created by the speed they were running.

At the speed they were going, they quickly put several miles between them and Bree. It was at that point that he dropped the illusion and fell against the horse's neck; having genin sized reserves sucked! He was panting from the exertion. Seriously, how did genin even function and not die? How had they not died as genin, how had _**Sakura**_ not died with her puny reserves!?

"Truly what are you two? I felt as if a presence has left us and this presence had been hiding our position. You fight demons and can run with Shadowfax, and you are clearly not Istari even though you use magic. I must ask, what are you?"

"Is-what?" the dobe asked as she kept pace with them using the fox's chakra. It was at this point that Sasuke remembered the seal on Dusk's swaddle that he was not familiar with.

"The Istari are the five wizards sent to Middle Earth many centuries ago to combat the great evil in this land. I am one of the five, Gandalf the Grey." Right, the old man's name was Gandalf, he forgot over the course of the night and early morning.

"Uh no…" the dobe seemed uncertain and Sasuke shook his head slightly. They were not wizards.

"_Dobe, what's that seal on Dusk?"_

Her eyes lit up at his question and she moved her hand into her cloak to retrieve two more of the seals. "These, Bastard, retain heat and act as a barrier against the wind,"she replied in westron before she slapped one onto Gandalf and Sasuke's cloaks and channeling the necessary chakra to activate them.

"This magic you use is most astounding, what is it?"

The blonde looked at Gandalf uncertainly and Sasuke rolled his eyes. The dobe didn't want to tell the man because she would feel like she'd be betraying her village. "It's sealing and it isn't magic," Sasuke replied for her which earned him a glare. He just stared back at her _"I hold no loyalty to the Elemental Lands, besides, it's not like they can find it and go there."_ She continued to glare at him.

"Seals," the Istar seemed to be trying out the word, "And what exactly do these seals do?" Gandalf asked uncertainly while ignoring the charged atmosphere between the dobe and Sasuke.

"They can seal things away into something else, as with the food you saw earlier today, but seals can do more than that, as you can see." The dobe continued to glare at him as he stated this; her eyes even began to bleed red.

"_It's not as if they can find that stupid land, and we've told Aragorn just as much," _Sasuke retorted and the dobe held on to her anger for one stubborn moment longer before sighing and dropping her head.

"_Our family is going to grow here, Dobe. Dawn is going to marry Haldarad and have children with him, and then our grandchildren are going to marry and have children of their own. At least among the Grey Company our abilities will not be secret, and this old guy is going to see our abilities if we face off against those black riders. _

"_What harm is going to come to the Elemental Lands if we tell this old man? We've agreed we will never go back there because we won't leave our children here and if we did leave they would go with us—"_

"_And the rennigan and sharingan have done enough damage, I know," _the dobe sighed and gently touched Dusk's head.

"Truly your language is fascinating, what lands do you come from? Do you come from across the sea, from some southern realm? By any chance is your language structured with the verb first before the object?"

"Verb before object?" she asked in confusion while looking at the man like he was crazy.

"Yes our language is structured that way, how did you figure that out?" Sasuke responded with a tired sigh.

"Ah, you mentioned Aragorn and based on the location in the sentence I made a simple deduction. I am versed in all the tongues of Middle Earth and not all of them have the same sentence structure."

Sasuke and Naruto just stared at the old man blankly, the dobe because the was confused and Sasuke because why the hell would anyone want to know all of the languages? Gandalf coughed slightly in discomfort, "Well, what realm do you two come from?"

"Not any place you can get to," the dobe responded curtly but at least she responded. The old man was frowning but the dobe sighed and shook her head, "Sorry we just come from a really faraway place that is inaccessible,"

"Inaccessible is one way to put it," Sasuke agreed under his breath. From what they had researched, the only way to return home was through the kamui and the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Was it destroyed?" Gandalf asked slowly, almost hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, no," Sasuke bit out and Naruto glared at him.

"Bastard I risked my life to defend it from your crazy, bastard cousin and ancestor. Do you know how many of my friends died—"

"_Dobe, if you want to bring that back up speak in Japanese!" _he hissed at the blonde but she just glared back at him defiantly.

"I think Gramps here should know who he'll be working with if we're going to be open about where we come from," the dobe retorted.

"I'm not that man anymore," his tone was caustic, but the dobe did not flinch, instead she held her glare before her features softened and she nodded slowly.

"I know, Bastard, the girls changed you, but without them you could go back to how you were," she almost sounded concerned.

Gandalf made a humming noise, "You were both warriors in opposing factions?" the old man stated more than questioned.

"Yes," Sasuke sighed while the dobe replied without hesitation.

"I see, what were the opposing stances then?"

Sasuke looked away, "Dobe," Sasuke interrupted the blonde before she could speak and damn him. She looked at him with her brow furrowed before her eyes widened and she nodded her head. "I was manipulated, treated like a pawn. That is all you need to know."

The dobe looked down and shook her head, perhaps in disapproval. He didn't care, they didn't talk about it, she knew they didn't. It was…it was too painful to, too bitter and hateful to talk about.

"I was fighting for peace, for an end to needless violence and wars," the dobe whispered. She then looked back up at the horizon, "Many people died, but in the end all of the nations came together to fight," she smiled slightly "We all worked together and that has never happened before, we were always divided and fighting but at last we joined together."

"All the nations against three men?" Gandalf asked incredulously, "By nations you men thousands of men or were your nations smaller?"

Sasuke scoffed while the dobe laughed weakly, "Thousands of shinobi from each of the great Nations fought together…" the dobe trailed off and Sasuke knew why.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head, "One of my former associates raised thousands of dead shinobi—powerful shinobi both hated and beloved. There was also a legitimate horde of white plant creatures—"

"They never seemed to die either, they'd just keep sprouting back up," the dobe groused as she frowned and glared at the horizon, but the expression was endearing and almost childish on her.

"You fought the undead?" Gandalf sounded a little faint and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Yes, and you couldn't just kill them again, you had to seal them which meant immobilizing them. Even ripping the Edo Tensei shinobi apart did little good because they'd just piece themselves back together," the dobe looked incredibly frustrated and Sasuke found himself chuckling slightly. _"Shut up teme!"_

"And you overcame these impossible odds?" Gandalf sounded half awed and horrified.

"Damn right we did!" the dobe shouted which unfortunately woke up Dusk. She grimaced and ducked her head. "Uh…I guess we should take a break, neh?" Gandalf slowed Shadowfax down to slow trot until they came to a full stop. The dobe mimicked him and soon was handling the fussing Dusk.

Perhaps it would be slow going, perhaps not, but at least they couldn't feel the cold.

* * *

_**3017 October 2**_

To make up for all their stops, they had ridden through most of the night and had only made camp for a short few hours. The dobe's seals were truly a gift, they kept out the cold, kept their rations fresh. Though…the dobe always made a dent in their rations when they stopped, but she needed it to produce milk for their child as well as restore her reserves, so it could be forgiven; however, at this rate they might have to start hunting soon.

It was sunrise on their second day from Bree and they decided to rest for a short while after traveling for the last few hours. Shadowfax's coat gleamed with sweat and steam rose off of its body. Sasuke couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the creature.

He winced as he dismounted. He truly did not know how Aragorn or that old man could stand being on a horse for so long. In an attempt to lessen his aching hips and other muscles he began to stretch. The dobe was watching him as he did so and she shook her head, though she too slid into a leg stretch where one leg was bent under her and the other leg stuck straight out to the side.

When the dobe was done with her stretches she sat back and arched her back. _"How are your reserves teme?"_

"_Genin level," _she nodded as he continued to stretch out his hips. After the genjutsu his reserves got back up to where they had been before. Gandalf watched them with his head cocked to one side before his gaze flitted out to the horizon.

The dobe sighed and slowly laid back, _"Mah! My feet are tired!" _she even wiggled her feet back and forth and likely had a pout on her face, _"And my back hurts,"_ she whined.

Sasuke felt his lips quirk upwards but he slowly rose from his stretch and walked over to where she lay. She looked up at him and wiggled her eyebrows with a salacious smile on her face, _"Still pretty flexible for an old man, teme."_

He scoffed and crouched down by her feet, _"I'm sure Gandalf doesn't want hear your perverseness, darling," _he said the endearment mockingly and she covered her mouth to keep from laughing too loud and waking Dusk.

"_Me perverse?"_ she replied in an innocent tone, _"You look perverse down by my feet. Whatchya planning, hmm teme?" _

It took a moment for what she was implying to sink in and he began to choke on air as he tried to fight his blush. Based on her sadistic cackle, he failed. _"Just give me Dusk and take off your boots," _he was looking away from her with his arms folded over his chest, so he missed her surprised look but he did catch the dobe siting up out of the corner of his eye.

She carefully unstrapped the baby carrier from her and handed their son over to Sasuke who then strapped Dusk to his chest. As he was doing that she began to fight off her boots. Sasuke knew they were off when he couldn't breathe but he pushed aside his discomfort. He remembered that during and after all of the other pregnancies the dobe's feet would swell and ache, he could only imagine how much pain all this running was causing her.

When they were without their memories he would massage her feet, especially after she had a long day in the forge. With those memories in mind, he swallowed his pride and reached toward her sodden, wool clothed feet. The dobe was leaning back on her hands and she was watching him with a soft expression on her face.

"_You used to do this all the time when I was pregnant with Dawn and then after…"_ Sasuke just nodded and focused on soothing the cramped and swollen muscles; he even circulated a little healing chakra into his fingertips.

The dobe tilted her head back and sighed in relief. _"Where did you learn to do this?!" _she moaned and Sasuke couldn't help but frown because of who taught him how to massage sore muscles.

"_You don't want to know dobe."_

Naruto shot her head up and her expression became hard, _"Kabuto?" _Sasuke nodded slowly and she looked away but didn't tell him to stop, _"Well, he knew his shit."_ Sasuke scoffed, that was an understatement.

Gandalf was watching them with slight smile on his face. Though it was clear he wanted to move on, he was hesitant to do so, especially with them acting as they were. Perhaps this tender interaction shocked him, perhaps he thought such moments were rare between Sasuke and Naruto given what they had told old man. Gandalf had certainly learned quite a lot about the Elemental Lands yesterday and that early morning.

The old man had asked them countless questions about where they came from, and unsurprisingly, he was shocked to find that women were deadly warriors where they came from; even though he had seen the proof—perhaps he had thought the dobe was an exception. Of course, they hadn't mentioned that the dobe had been a man in their former world, but that was for the best. It had been a big shock to Aragorn, and they were almost certain the ranger had just repressed the memory of having ever heard that Arad used to be a man.

"_Alright, turn over," _Sasuke ordered and the dobe shot him one suggestive look before gingerly turning around to show him her back. Sasuke moved so the dobe was sitting between his legs and she threw him another suggestive look while he just rolled his eyes. Sasuke tried to ignore the fact that Gandalf was choking because he had likely seen the look the dobe had given Sasuke.

Like with the dobe's feet, Sasuke began to slowly massage the dobe's lower back while he used healing chakra in his finger-tips. The dobe let out little sighs like she had when she was just Arad. However, unlike before, the dobe began to speak.

"Our girls are to the North right now but there's a this really bad chakra off to the south and another in front of us."

"This chakra you keep mentioning, is energy, yes?" Gandalf asked. His face was suddenly serious. The dobe just hummed in affirmation.

"The two bad chakra are those riders right?" Sasuke asked for clarification and the dobe nodded her head as she hummed.

Gandalf had been informed earlier of the dobe's ability to sense energies and had been understandably intrigued. "What seems to be their behavior?"

"They're looking around, but I think they will be heading for that Weathertop place you mentioned."

"And that is where your daughters are going…" Gandalf was understandably worried and Sasuke was as well.

"We'll have to draw their attention to us," Sasuke stated quickly as he finished up the dobe's massage. "Preferably when they're far away from our daughters."

Gandalf nodded, "Then we make for Weathertop with no divergences."

Sasuke hummed in agreement as he helped the dobe to her feet after putting her boots back on. The dobe just nodded to both of them before she held out her arms to receive Dusk, but Sasuke shook his head, "Ride with Gandalf, we'll switch at noon."

"No," the dobe responded immediately and began to reach of the baby carrier straps.

"Idiot, you might have the chakra but your body is still getting over the pregnancy, you need to get off your feet for a little while,"

She glared at him with her lips pursed in disapproval while her arms were crossed over her chest, "And you're at genin level with your reserves."

"Which will be enough for me to run on until noon. You know I am naturally fast, I will hardly have to use any chakra to keep up with Shadowfax. Then at noon, I will ride with Gandalf for the rest of the day."

"I must agree with Dû, you should rest for this short time," the old man added his two cents, though he looked a little affronted at Sasuke's comment about running faster than his horse.

After a few more seconds of glaring the dobe relented. "Fine, but if you pass out, Bastard, I am kicking both of your asses!" Gandalf spluttered at the dobe's behavior but Sasuke just shook his head with a slight smile tugging at his lips.

…

Their third day out from Bree they had fully left the Chetwood forest and had entered the Midgewater Marshes. Minuial and her sisters skittered across the boggy water's surface in their illusions. The company of hobbits had slowed down even more as they tried to pick their way through the shifting quagmires and sulfuric pools, even Ojisan had difficulties finding a path.

Then there were the bugs, they hovered in great clouds over all of them. They crawled up their sleeves and dresses, and they wove into their hair. Minuial had to restrain herself from scratching violently at herself from the various bites the midges had given her, in addition, their tiny legs and wigs tickled her too.

"I am being eaten alive!" cried Pippin, the young Took that had apparently danced with Kaasan at her wedding. "Midgewater! There are more midges than water!" the youngest hobbit in the group complained. Minuial caught her uncle's slight endearing smile as he continued to trudge through the marshes. He seemed to be ignoring the clouds of midges in his face, and if Ojisan could do that, then she could too!

"What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?!" asked same Sam as he scratched at his neck. The poor stout hobbit. Minuial really did sympathize with them, but there truly was little any of them could do about the annoying bugs.

Aragorn shook his head and couldn't help but chuckle at the youngest hobbits' complaints. They were taking the ranger routes which were less than glamorous, what had they been expecting? But it was good to hear their voices through the gloom they had been traveling in. It was dreadfully frightening and stressful to be pursued by Nazgûl, but these hobbits were able to find something light to complain about and that was heartening in its own way.

Aragorn looked over at Frodo who had been very quiet all through their travels. His gaze flickered over to his left before he looked forward again with his brow furrowed. Aragorn motioned for the eldest hobbit of the company to walk abreast with him and Frodo was quick catch up with him.

"Frodo, is something the matter?" he asked calmly in a low voice.

"I am not sure Strider, I feel as if we are being followed but…" the hobbit shook his head as he frowned and his gaze flickered to the right.

Aragorn did his best to give nothing away, but he was deeply concerned. It was one thing for him to feel they were being watched, for that could be easily passed off as paranoia, but for Frodo to also feel they were being followed…well perhaps they truly were being followed. Had Gollum found their trail already? Aragorn had heard news of the creature's escape from Mirkwood, but no, that was far too soon. Then was it the Nazgûl? But they would have heard their screeches as they communicated with each other, and they would have heard their horses. Then could it be some other spy? Birds perhaps?

"Perhaps it is all the stress of knowing there are riders behind us, and searching for us," Frodo replied after a pause. He sighed and shook his head. "There is nothing when I look at where I believe we are being watched from. There are just insects or mice." He shook his head again, "I am sorry to trouble you Strider." Frodo gave a weak smile and Aragorn shook his head slightly.

"There is no trouble Frodo," he paused before he spoke again, "A ranger's best tool is his instincts, and if your instincts are telling you we are being watched, perhaps we are. There are more than just riders that work for the enemy, there are other spies too."

Frodo nodded slowly but his brow furrowed more, "I do not think what is following us means us harm…" the hobbit trailed off and shook his head again, "Perhaps I am just tired," he gave a weak laugh and a small smile.

"Perhaps…" Aragorn looked forward with his brow furrowed this time. He glanced around their company but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He might have almost wondered if his nieces had followed them, but he saw now shifting shadows that suggested they were flitting around them. No, there were just tall rushes and reeds and clouds of insects. There was nothing amiss, yet Frodo believed there was, and he had felt the say the day before… It was at least something to look for in the future.

* * *

_**3017 October 3**_

Sasuke looked off toward the horizon, it was midday already and they had stopped to feed and change Dusk. Off in the distance was a line of hills, one of which was set a little off from the others and had a conical top. Gandalf named this offset hill Weathertop. They were nearly there, and would likely make it to the hill by sunset.

Their enemies would make for Weathertop as well, and for one moment fear gripped at Sasuke like a cold hand on his heart. His gaze shifted over to Dusk suckling at the dobe's breast. She looked up from their son to give him a questioning look.

Sasuke looked away toward Gandalf who was astutely looking at Weathertop. The Istar had been appalled when the dobe had thrown her dress off of her shoulder several days before when she fed Dusk for the first time. It had been comical but then again, the dobe frankly did not care about decency; she never had.

Sasuke sighed and walked over to the old man, "Can you tell us about these riders? What will we be facing?"

His reserves were building back up, and after resting most of the other day he had gotten up to Chuunin level in reserves-well an average Chuunin's reserve level. Due to this he had begun running beside the dobe or made her ride with Gandalf if her feet were hurting. Sasuke hoped the chakra he could access would be enough to handle the riders, since the dobe was to protect their son. She was stronger than him, as much as he might hate to admit it, especially with access to Kurama's chakra—even if it was more difficult in this world than in theirs. Hopefully by evening he'd have a Jounin's level in reserves if not a Kage's level; which would be sufficient to use some of his attacks.

Regardless of his reserves, the dobe was their first line of defense between their son and whatever may come. She was also to survive and run away with him if things went bad. She had teased him relentlessly when he confessed that she was stronger than him—at the moment—but then she realized what he was implying and she was not pleased. Either this was because she was being left on the sidelines while he fought, or it was about the dobe's martyr complex and she just couldn't sit by and let him lay down his life for their family.

"They are Ring Wraiths, Nazgûl," Gandalf began as he glanced over at the former nuke-nin. Sasuke knew his expression showed no signs of recognition for the terms used. The dobe glanced up once more from Dusk who was still feeding, she too showed on recognition and was about to ask, likely, what Ring Wraiths were, but the old man sighed and shook his head. "You know nothing about the Ring of Power?"

Sasuke snorted slightly at the name of this supposedly fearsome article and the dobe outright giggled. "Ring of power?" she asked incredulously, "What, does it grant its user, like, I dunno, fire breathing powers or something. Is it magical or something?" the dobe was still laughing but Sasuke had to pause. Gandalf was just gaping at Naruto in horror, seemingly forgetting that one of her breasts was hanging out as she fed Dusk. For the wizard to disregard that fact meant this Ring of Power was serious.

Sasuke wasn't going to be as quick as her to completely discredit this ring. When he though about those hobbits Bombadil had been talking with... There had been a foul chakra he could faintly see without his sharingan in the eldest hobbit's pocket. "Idiot, what if this Ring of Power was the foul chakra that got the fox excited?" Sasuke asked slowly and Gandalf turned to look at him quizzically.

"Huh? But that doesn't make sense, Bastard," she had her serious face on, "Only living things can have chakra and that foul chakra had a will of its own that twisted our neighbors into rioting. Are you trying to tell me that a Ring could do all that? I mean, _Samehada_ was one thing, but it alone couldn't cast _jutsu._"

Gandalf had a grave face on and he held up his hands to stop the dobe and Sasuke from continuing their argument, "That sounds like the Ring of Power. It does have a mind of its own and it does store a great amount of energy within it, though I do not know about this Samehada you speak of." Sasuke just waved his hand at the wizard's last comment and the wizard frowned.

"Is a demon sealed inside of it, how the hell is any of that possible?" the dobe asked with her brow furrowed and Sasuke had to agree, even he though it was unlikely for the ring to have be able to do all those things, yet if it was a sealed demon...that might be more plausible.

"Ah, yes, I have been meaning to ask for clarification on what these demons you mention are." Gandalf was looking at the dobe to answer but she just looked down uncomfortably and stroked at Dusk's head while he continued to feed.

Sasuke sighed and answered for her, the dobe was still self-conscious at times about what she is. "Demons are constructs of pure, destructive energy that can't actually die, just dissipate before reforming."

"It's not all destructive energy," the dobe whispered and Sasuke grimaced slightly.

"I know Idiot,"

Gandalf was frowning but then his eyes lit up as a thought came to him, "Lady Arad, I believe you were correct in saying a demon is sealed inside the ring. Think of this," he began "one of those energy constructs, say the strongest, has been weakened but a large part of that construct resides within a ring, should the ring be returned to the damaged construct, it would regain all its former power."

Sasuke could see the gravity of the situation Middle Earth was in, but he didn't understand what exactly this had to do with those black riders.

"On top of that, think of this construct being in control of a vast army of enhanced warriors, as well as being able to twist one's mind to do its bidding," Gandalf added to provide more context, but again Sasuke had to wonder what this had to do with the black riders, though he was also reminded of that dream he the morning they set out. _Flee or fight, war comes from the East._

"Sounds like Obito all over again," the dobe stated dryly with a frown on her face. "But then again," she started with a foxlike smile, "We kicked his ass, didn't we Bastard," she winked at him and Sasuke sighed slightly as he nodded his head, he hated being reminded of the times he had been played, manipulated. Teaming up with the dobe against Obito had been the first action of his own choosing in what had felt like ages, he still hated Konoha, but... He just shook his head; they didn't talk about those days for a reason—it was confusing and painful to remember.

He glared at the expanse before him, and could almost feel the dobe looking at him with concern while Gandalf gaped. Sasuke growled under his breath, "Well get on with your story," he snapped and the old man jerked back in surprise. "What exactly does this Ring of Power have to with the Black Riders?"

Gandalf nodded slowly, "Of course, but before the significance of the Ring Wraiths makes sense I need to explain more of Middle Earth history. The construct I mentioned is called Sauron. He created rings of power which he gave to the various races:

Three for the Eleven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for the Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,

One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."

Sasuke felt a chill run up his spine as the old man recited the poem and he saw the dobe visibly shudder while Dusk began to cry. "Creepy!" the dobe exclaimed as she tried to calm down their son.

Sasuke knew people here talked a lot, but he was beginning to wonder if perhaps…if perhaps there was power in their words. Aragorn's song had practically cured the dobe of her depression, well that and the scent of that Athelas plant. But then there was just the other day when Sasuke sang the song to the dobe as they walked away from the village to calm Dusk down from the Ring's influence—for he deduced the bad chakra with the hobbit was this One Ring. Perhaps there was power in speech, especially in that elvish language, and perhaps for men like Gandalf, for Istari…which might explain why he learned all the languages in Middle Earth.

"These rings Sauron made gave him power over the other races, especially over men," Gandalf continued in his grave tone. "He knows always where the other rings are, but not his own, only when it is worn does he know where it is. The ring bearers are tied to him, especially the longer they have been with their rings."

"And you know this how?" Sasuke asked slowly over Dusk's wails. The dobe continued to hum and rock the baby, she even offered her teat to Dusk but he kept crying.

"Because I bear one of the three," Gandalf replied almost hesitantly, but Sasuke caught what he had said along with the dobe.

The dobe understandably looked befuddled, "Um…aren't elves supposed to be eternally young looking or something?" she asked with her head tilted to one side, however she grimaced as Dusk continued to cry.

"Come on Dusk, shh," she tried to plead with their baby before she turned him upright with his head over her shoulder and she began to stroke his back, "Come on Baby, shh, it's all right, the creepy poem is over."

Gandalf gave a small smile held out his arms to take the crying child off her hands. Both he and the dobe looked at him uncertainly before the dobe just shook her head and handed over Dusk gingerly.

"Drop him and I'll kill you," Sasuke stated as he watched the old man handle his son, of course he was whacked by the dobe for his threat but Sasuke couldn't care less. So far the old man was doing everything correctly. Gandalf then began to murmur something in that strange language the girls and Aragorn spoke.

After anther few verses of whatever the old man was muttering, Dusk calmed down and was handed back to the dobe. "You've got to teach us that!" she exclaimed as she looked down at their son. He was calm once more and groping outwards with his mouth open, searching for his mother's breast. She smiled and began to feed Dusk again.

"No I am not an elf, though I am well versed in their language," Gandalf began as he turned away from the dobe once more to give her some privacy, not that she cared. "I was gifted my ring from one of the elven kings. But to come back to our story," he began again, his tone more serious, "the nine men were corrupted by their rings and quickly fell under Sauron's control. Now they live to serve him as wraiths, ever in search of the One Ring their master desires."

"Why do the other races continue to use their rings?" If this Sauron was so evil and corrupting, why keep the rings, why not destroy them all so there would be no chance for him to influence them? Sasuke had to wonder and the dobe seemed to as well for she was nodding her head with her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, that just seems stupid to keep them or use them."

"For the men…well all men desire power, but what they fear even more is weakness," Sasuke shut his eyes at the truth of that statement. He had always been driven by gaining power, but he was equally afraid of weakness, of being too weak to avenging his clan. But now…now he was afraid he would be too weak to protect his family. He could imagine why the men would continue to use their rings even as it corrupted them.

"Even after Sauron's betrayal was learned of, the men continued to use his gift. They were afraid to become weak, for their rings gave them strength, or rather, what they perceived as strength. As for the Dwarves, most of their rings have been lost, and as I'm sure you can imagine, the Elves are…more resilient to Sauron's evil."

"And what of you?" Sasuke eyed the old man warily, one hand had begun to move toward his sword. He did not want this man near his son and wife if he could become one of those wraiths.

"_Teme! I told you he was one of the good guys!"_ the dobe protested his behavior but overtop her screaming at him, the old man responded.

His eyes crinkled up, "Nothing to worry of. I am not a normal man who is easily corrupted, though the One Ring would corrupt all who tried to wield it," Gandalf's expression darkened as he stated the last part about the One Ring. "Even if for good," he murmured before shaking his head again and the dobe frowned.

Sasuke glared slightly at the horizon as he pieced together the information he had received, "So…these Ring Wraiths, were the nine men?" Gandalf nodded and Sasuke hummed, "What abilities do they have?"

"Their blades are poisoned and could turn any victim that lived into one of them, a wraith at the service of the Dark Lord. They have some wariness to light and fire, and so usually travel by night. It is also said that no man can kill them, or rather, kill their leader. In the hundreds of years they have existed, and all the battles they have fought in, none of them have been defeated. Driven away, yes, but defeated…" Gandalf shook his head gravely.

So they were immortal… well…Hidan was supposedly immortal but that lazy Nara had defeated him. Sasuke looked over at the dobe who had a thoughtful yet serious look on her face, perhaps she was wondering if they could seal the wraiths like the Edo Tensei corpses.

"Will Mr. Ranger be able to drive them away?" the dobe spoke up, "If these wraiths escape us somehow?" Sasuke hoped his girls would be clever, that they would be prepared to fight with all they had should they not make it to them in time.

"Yes, he knows fire will drive them off and he is resourceful," Gandalf replied and Sasuke nodded along with the dobe. That was a relief, he supposed, but it would be better if they could figure out a way to seal these wraiths away.

"_Dobe, do you think you could reconstruct the Edo Tensei seals you made?" _The dobe looked over at him before looking back at Dusk who had stopped feeding. She smiled at him and began to burb the baby as she thought about how to respond.

"_I've been wondering the same, and I won't know until I can see them and see what makes them tick. It might be a deadly waste to try the Edo Tensei seals on them without really knowing what exactly they are."_ Sasuke nodded, he had guessed as much.

"Mah, Bastard, it's your turn to carry Dusk while I ride with Gramps," the dobe stated cheerfully as she stood up, "My feet are so swollen right now!" she exclaimed as she fixed her dress and passed off the baby.

Gandalf chuckled while Sasuke just smirked slightly, "Yes Dear," he mockingly cooed and she gave him a mock glare before swatting at his backside.

"Shut it Bastard, and start moving your sexy ass, we're heading for Weathertop!" Sasuke choked slightly like Gandalf at the dobe's choice of words. She was just snickering as she got onto Shadowfax and Sasuke just stared down at his son in his carrier.

"_Your mother…"_ he began while shaking his head _"I'm amazed Dawn doesn't jump Haldarad every time she sees him."_ Sasuke sighed.

"_Heard that teme, and I don't think you have to worry about that with Dawn, Halbarad keeps those two in line. Then again, I think I may have scarred her for life with my discussion with her on the best positions—"_

"_You did what?!"_ Sasuke cut her off, completely scandalized. Oh gods… his baby girl had been exposed to the dobe's perverseness.

"_Well, what is it you always call me, hmm? Pupil of the perverted sage? How could I not educate our daughter—"_

Sasuke didn't care that Gandalf wasn't even on Shadowfax yet, he had to get away from this—it was worse than the Red Sister talks. Sasuke pressed his hands to his ears and began to run toward Weathertop, all the while knowing the dobe was just laughing her head off at him.

…

Minuial frowned, the night before had been cold and damp and _loud_. She couldn't agree more with the hobbits about those insidious Neekerbreekers—name courtesy of Sam—that hid in the tussocks and kept them all up with their neek-breeking. She pinched the bridge of her nose as one of the hobbits complained about the bugs again and then complained about getting swap water on his clothes. It was just a shame they couldn't water walk like her and her siblings, then perhaps their complaints would drop a little.

She sighed, no, she shouldn't be getting annoyed with the hobbits; she was just hungry and tired from all their covert running and protecting of the company. But she needed to do this, not only to prove she could be a ninja, but because she needed to get out of Bree. There was this whole big world outside of the walls, and until now she and her sisters had only been allowed to go hunting in the surrounding forests.

Minuial was practically a woman, in fact she should be considered a woman since the Red Sister visited her all those years ago! She would be getting married someday, and it would kill her to have to stay locked up in Bree. She was meant for more, she deserved to live more than some sheltered, simple life.

She was a kunoichi, and she knew from overheard conversations that her Ojisan was fighting against something evil. She knew he would never ask her family to help him, even though it was clear their special skills could be tide-turners. So she knew she had to help, she had to help no matter what. What Ojisan was fighting affected all of Middle Earth, which meant it affected Bree and their family. She had to help, especially if their abilities would be such an advantage.

Minuial knew her sisters felt the same, which was why they had all agreed in the end to help their Ojisan from the shadows. They were going to do something big, something good, and-and frankly, she didn't care if she died in the process. Ninja protected their precious people, they protected their village, and that was exactly what she would do. She couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in some cage like a bird, to be something pretty to look at but utterly useless in the end.

Her parents had taught her skills; they had taught her how to fight, how to kill, how to deceive, how to defend. She would not have these skills be wasted in some small cage where they would eventually rust and be forgotten. She would not be some simple wife, she would be a warrior, she would be a kunoichi. When Dawn gets married to Haldarad she will at least have some excitement in her life. She'll get to travel with the Grey Company, she'll get to hunt and fight alongside her beloved, but what about Minuial, what about Tinnu?

No…they'd be wed off to some simple-minded Bree boy who would treat them like some baby machine. She glared out at the marshes at that thought. Minuial and Tinnu wouldn't be allowed to hunt anymore or practice kenjutsu. They'd be stuck knitting clothes and cooking meals. They'd be trapped in their homes to care for some sniveling man with bad hygiene.

So they needed this. They needed this chance at freedom, this chance to be do something meaningful in their lives before they were caged up.

Ojisan wouldn't understand if he found out, and she didn't expect him too. She didn't expect her Tousan or Kaasan to understand either, even though they'd do all they could to keep their daughters from such a dismal life of subservience to a useless simpleton. But eventually, Miniual and Tinnu would be ostracized, called spinster, and to escape the social humiliation they would marry—likely to man twice their age. They'd likely die in labor too, and what should have been a long full life would have been empty and short. That was why they were doing this, why they **had** to do this. This was their once in a lifetime chance to be something more, to be important.

She looked to the horizon and wondered if there would ever be an end to this stupid marsh with all of its bugs. It was cold and damp and so slow going. She wouldn't be able to take another day in this dreadful marsh, she just couldn't.

She glanced over to her sisters and lamented that she couldn't even communicate with them in their sign language unless she wished to lift the genjutsu on them. She held back her sigh and just shook her head. This was what being a ninja was about. They were quiet even when they didn't want to be, and they persevered through the dull parts of missions. She'd use her skills before they rusted in that cage awaiting her, and she shouldn't complain because for once she was flying how she was meant.

…

The sun was beginning to set as they reached Weathertop. The dobe looked at it with her mouth wide open, "Woah! Race you to the top, Bastard!" she called before racing up the side of the hill. Sasuke just stared after her and shook his head.

"Need to conserve chakra, Idiot," he replied, "Besides, I have Dusk," he gently touched at the baby's head as he and Gandalf began to walk up the winding path to the top of the hill.

"Fine, be that way," the dobe retorted childishly, "I'm going to set up a few traps," the dobe stated, already halfway up the hill. She could feel the Nazgûl approaching, and for the last few hours they had seen one off toward the horizon and now it was coming closer and closer to them.

"No trap can contain the Nazgûl" Gandalf stated seriously and Sasuke shook his head.

"Lethal trap," Sasuke replied, "Idiot, don't use too many explosive tags, we have Dusk with us," he reminded her and she just nodded her head.

"I have a sensory deprivation seal I've been working on, I might use it on Dusk to reduce —"

"You are not using an experimental seal on our—"

"I'm not, Bastard!" she interrupted his interruption with an annoyed yell and expression, "I just have the sound deprivation part figured out. I still need to work on the other senses, so!" she stuck her tongue out at him and Sasuke shook his head.

"And there aren't going to be any lasting effects?" Sasuke asked incredulously while Gandalf listened-in fascinated.

"I've tested it on myself—"

"The fox heals everything for you!" Sasuke replied just as quickly and the dobe gave him a wide-eyed look before dropping her head and sighing.

"Fine no traps or explosions, hope you're happy!" she vanished as she moved onto the top of the hill.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. _"Dobe, set up some barrier seals for you and Dusk, that way you'll be safe inside it when the Nazg__û__l come."_

"_Fine"_ came the dobe's disembodied voice. _"I'm gonna have to make them so don't bother me when you get up here. _We probably have an hour or so until the wraiths show up."

"Thank you Arad," Gandalf replied before turning to Sasuke, "Dû, do you having any fire techniques you can use?" he asked and Sasuke nodded his head slowly. "Good."

As Gandalf and the teme discussed their plans Naruto was busy recreating a barrier seal that she and Dusk could stay within. She would need four clones to help operate the seal and then fight if it must come to that. She was not happy with the teme for making her the last line of defense for Dusk's safety but she saw the logic in it.

It was kind of funny how different the teme was from just seventeen years ago. He was willing to lay his life down for her and their family. It was unbelievable, but she felt both annoyed and ridiculously happy about it.

As she worked on the seals, which she had made a stockpile of that the girls took, she felt the wraiths drawing closer and closer. She finished up the last one and moved to a ring of stone that was once the foundation for the watchtower that had resided on Weathertop. She placed the seals down and made a familiar cross hand sign.

Gandalf gaped at Naruto and her four copies, "Are those an illusion, Lady Arad?"

"Normally they are," Naruto began before one of her clones spoke up.

"But we're solid, 'cause the boss is just that awesome!"

The teme scoffed and shook his head, "Oi! Bastard, say that to my face!" all of her clones replied while she just chuckled.

"_Neh, we can always get back at him by teaming up on him,"_ she began with a salacious smile _"and trying some of those scenes from Icha Icha: Team Edition Extra Kinky."_ Her clones began to laugh with her as the teme paled and took a few steps backward in fear.

However before they could continue joking Naruto felt the wraiths closing in. They began to screech all around them and she moved to retrieve Dusk from the teme,_ "Don't you die on me, teme," _she threatened as she retrieved her son and strapped him to her chest. Because she wasn't sure what she would do without the teme. He stabilized her in this world, and...well he had shown her more kindness and affection than she had ever expected to see in her life.

"_Keep him safe, dobe," _was all she got in reply. She glared at him but moved into the ring of seals with her clones. Why didn't he threaten her either? Why did he have to say that? Now she was going to worry about his safety because he wasn't being cocky!

Her clones each activated a seal and soon Naruto and Dusk were protected by a nearly impregnable barrier, which consequently deadened and warped exterior sounds. She wrapped her arms around Dusk and waited for when the attack would begin. Dusk was fussing already due to the shrieking and she knew he would soon be wailing.

It wasn't long after sunset when the Nazgûl arrived. Instead of coming up the main path where they might have ended up in a bottleneck, the Nazgûl came up from all sharingan began to spin with the eternal sharingan and he set the first one he saw ablaze with Amaterasu, however it just gave an inhuman shriek of pain. He panted slightly after the attack, an average Jounin was not meant to use such techniques casually-again, how did normal jounin live with such reserves?

The black flames consumed the creature's robes and did burn the creature yet it was _still_ alive! He could see it as some shimmering ethereal being, an aged human with a long beard and sunken dead eyes. He couldn't hear the dobe screaming about ghosts so she clearly could not see it for what it was, but that was for the best. He couldn't afford her to be distracted if this all went sour. Sasuke did notice however that two wraiths were trying to attack the dobe and her clones but their swords just bounced off of the barrier. They screeched in frustration which made Dusk begin to scream.

"You killed one of them!?" Gandalf asked in surprise from where he had his staff raised and a bright fire leapt from the end of it. He must have done a head count and saw that only eight of the nine were visible. Gandalf also had a sword drawn and it shone in the fire's light.

"No," he gritted out before launching a kunai at the uncloaked wraith. It shrieked as the kunai embedded where its heart ought to be, but what horrified Sasuke was that the kunai burst into a million pieces on impact and the thing _still_ wasn't dead. However, he noticed the uncloaked one was no longer moving toward him and was taking agonizingly slow steps backwards. In fact, the uncloaked Nazgûl seemed to have a hard time moving and staying in one piece, like it might disperse into the wind without its cloak.

He saw two more wraiths coming closer but he dared not draw _Kusanagi_ lest it shatter like his kunai. His chokutō was just a normal sword with no special properties. He could add charka to it to make it cut through anything, but it was not like his original. If his kunai could be destroyed so easily, his precious sword could be too.

He watched as half of the cloaked things were focused on Gandalf who dual wielded his sword and staff. Fire burst in an inferno from the end of the staff while the old man blocked their poisonous blades with his sword. He was deceptively agile and skilled, not as skilled as Sasuke or Aragorn, but he was certainly better than the dobe could ever hope to be at kenjutsu.

Sasuke glared at his portion of the Nazgûl and began to run through the familiar hand signs for the katon: gōkakyū technique. It felt so good to have his fire aligned chakra build in his throat and then to expel the chakra out through his mouth and focused through his hand. This must be what an addict feels when taking a hit after a very long time of sobriety. His throat even tingled a little after he expelled the chakra.

The two Nazgûl it hit shrieked as they were thrown back toward the edge of the hill. Gandalf pushed back one of his own opponents and the whole of the hilltop was filled with their piercing screams along with the screams of Dusk, who the dobe was desperately trying to quiet. Sasuke could felt as if a cold hand was closing around his throat. His family...they were going to be in danger if he failed, but so far all he threw at them did nothing...he hadn't felt true fear in so long but he was beginning wonder if he was now.

Sasuke glared at his opponents, who were now on fire but still advancing. What the hell!? Already, after his two fire techniques and all the fire the old man was making, the atmosphere was clouding up. One more fire aligned technique should be enough to create a natural storm cloud. He doubted it would help him but he may as well try. He had to protect his family, he had to drive them away!

As he ran through the hand signs and drew on his fire aligned chakra, he could hear a rumbling begin in the clouds above them and he could smell ozone in the air. He finished the signs for the katon: hōsenka technique and watched as the Nazgûl tried to bat away the flying balls of fire racing toward them. They failed and their screeches rose high into the air. These creatures were not quick and agile like a ninja, therefore there had been absolutely no hope for them to dodge his attack. Sasuke panted for a few moments, sweat matted his hair into clumps and he shook his head to push through his fatigue. For the first gōkakyū he might have used too much chakra but he had to push through it now.

"Old man, you stay close beside me for my next attack," he hissed out as he began to prepare for one of his strongest lightning attacks; however the storm above them was fairly weak. He just hopped it might scare away these things or at least stun them. He couldn't let them get to his family; he had to do something to drive them away.

The dark sky began to light up with the occasional lightning flash. He grinned and ran through the appropriate signs for the kirin. It would be the weakest kirin he had ever made, but at least it should stun them if not scorch the area they were around, in addition, it was one of his least chakra intensive attacks for the power in the attack was generated by natural lightning. Gandalf gasped as he looked up, but he quickly focused back on his enemies who had paused at the change in weather.

"Are you the one doing this?" the Istar asked in a whisper before he began muttering a long string of words under his breath. Sasuke hadn't heard him earlier but now he deduced that the man had to say some sort of incantation to make his attacks work.

"Yes and no. We've both released enough fire techniques into the atmosphere to generate these conditions; I'm just taking advantage of it." He snagged onto the natural lightning in the air and channeled a scant amount of chakra through it to form his technique. "Let's see if they can fear?" he smirked as the giant creature of electricity appeared from the sky and charged down at a cluster of the creatures.

Gandalf gasped again but this time at the sight of the lightning creature as it raced to the ground. He pressed closer to Sasuke and the former nuke-nin smirked to himself; however, it faltered when one of the Nazgûl got back up and gave a screech to the now cowering creatures. It was as if this Nazgûl was their leader and it was ordering the rest them to keep fighting.

How?

In his anger, fear, and desperation he began to form a chidori in his hand and raced toward the closet Nazgûl. He was satisfied when his fist sunk through where its heart should be, but then as his lightning aligned chakra dissipated throughout the creature he felt a stabbing cold. He had spent at least half of his remaining reserves already and now he felt as if his chakra was being sucked out of him along with the lightning aligned chakra.

He pulled his hand back and cried out in pain. Gods! It radiated up through is arm and across his chest. It was suffocating. Vaguely he heard the dobe scream something, scream _"Teme!"_ but then dark spots began to appear across his sight and he pitched forward against the scorched ground. He had spent too much chakra and the pain...oh gods...

…

Aragorn stared off into the Eastern sky. There were flashes of light that faded off and on many times. It was not the dawn, for that was still many hours off. Aragorn turned to his left to see Frodo blinking up at the sky blearily. "What is this light" he asked.

"I do not know," Aragorn replied, for truly he did not, "It is too distant to make out. It is like lightning that leaps up from the hill-tops." But could it be more? What was this light? And then a great creature came down from the sky, it almost looked like a cat made out of lightning.

He gasped and held his breath, could that be…he had heard his friend speak of some of his attacks, one of which—that the smith took great pride in—was a creature made of lightning that he took straight from the clouds. Dû was out there, or at least that was what Aragorn assumed. Why would he be? Then fear clutched at his heart, what if the girls…he looked about him and wondered if they were there.

Tinnu stared up at the sky and wished she could be with her sisters openly again. She recognized the kirin from her father's stories. Oh gods, he was out there fighting some opponent strong enough that he felt needed to be taken out with a one-hit overkill attack. Why? Did they know? Had they figured out where Tinnu and her sisters were heading.

Tinnu closed her eyes tightly even as the flashes continued to appear behind her eyelids. Oh Tousan, be safe, she prayed. Tousan. Oh gods, was Kaasan with him, what about their new sibling, or had that died?

She stifled her fearful cries, oh please be safe Tousan, Kaasan, she whispered to herself as she gazed up at that light in the distance. Please…

…

That stupid, stupid teme! When she saw him beginning to form the chidori she wanted to scream at him, but with Dusk crying his head off and those Nazgûl screaming, she doubted she would be heard. What was he thinking!? She had seen his own kunai explode inside as it hit some invisible entity—and it took all of her self-control to not scream about ghosts!—what was he expecting to happen when he shoved his **fist** inside of those creatures!

When the teme pitched forward unconscious she lost it. She could see the one he had stabbed with his lightning fist raise its sword to hack him to pieces. NO! NO! That was her bastard, her husband, hers!

The clones dropped the barrier around her, and a giant, red, clawed chakra hand shot toward the wraith trying to attack **her** teme. Naruto remained crouched in the middle of her clones as the demon's chakra surged through her. She wouldn't let it cloak her lest the demon only let out caustic chakra and hurt her child. No, instead she used enough to create chakra arms that grabbed all the Nazgûl in its caustic clutches and threw them from the hill.

"Get away from my husband!" she screamed at them overtop of Dusk's cries. She dropped to her knees panting from the control she had to exert over the fox's chakra. It was so tempting to just completely dive into it, but she had to restrain herself lest she destroy everyone. Due to constantly being in sage mode, it was more difficult to control the fox's chakra and she seldom practiced with it anyways. She wouldn't risk her child or the teme by letting herself go in demon's charka.

"You literally threw them off of Weathertop…" Gandalf just stared at her in amazement while she rushed toward the teme and rolled him onto his back. She could hear the Nazgûl screaming in the distance but she could sense they were running away. Perhaps she had scared them?

She could barely think with Dusk crying his head off, the wraiths screaming, and her own panic suffocating her. She shook her head and pulled the boy out of his carrier, "Would you calm him down again," she asked as she looked back down at the teme, he looked paler than usual.

Gandalf took Dusk from her gingerly and began to sing to him while Naruto brushed back some of the teme's hair. His head was hot and not just because of sweat. She then looked down at his arm and surprisingly it was there in one piece, but when she touched it, it was like ice. _"What's wrong with him?" _ she asked the fox mentally.

Kurama laughed at her and in her mind's eye she could see the demon smirking at her. _**"Why should I tell you? And no, I won't heal that Uchiha, so don't bother asking."**_

"_Tell me! We've had an agreement in the past Kurama!"_

"_**Well you no longer have the threat of extraction hanging over your head, so why should I continue our agreement, hmm?"**_

"_We've worked together in the past Kurama, work with me now, please!"_ when the fox remained silent she cursed and shook her head, _"If he dies you will never had another chance to escape!"_

"_**He won't die from this."**_

"_Well how am I to know that if you won't tell me what's wrong!?"_ she shouted back, but this only seemed to amuse the fox.

"_**The tenketsu and some of the nerves are damaged in that arm."**_

"_Wh-what? So he can't use that arm anymore?"_ oh gods, that could kill him if he couldn't defend himself properly. _"You have to heal him! I know your chakra can heal just as much as it can destroy!"_

"_**Yes but why the hell should I do that for an Uchiha?"**_

"_Kurama!" _why was the fox being so damn, ugh! Pulling at her hair in frustration he gave in. She looked down at the ground as she gritted out,_"Name your price."_

"_**Ooh!" **_the demon cooed_** "I get to name my price?"**_ he asked mockingly, _**"Freedom,"**_ he stated dryly.

She gave the fox a deadpan look and Kurama returned the look. After a few more moments Naruto's eyes widened and she nodded her head, _"You will get to control nine of my clones, each one will have only one tail of your charka, and you are to chase after those wraiths we threw off of Weathertop. That's your freedom, sound good?"_

The fox did its best to pout _**"I was hoping for something more permanent, but throw in that I can kill whatever comes across my path, then we may have an agreement, though of course, there's no guarantee I'll actually heal him, you know," **_the demon cackled.

"_I know, which is why you'll be healing the nerves before you leave, oh and you can't kill my children, Ranger-san, or the hobbits with Ranger-san if you happen to come across them."_

"_**Hmm…that's reasonable…"**_ the fox smirked, or tried to—it just looked like it was barring its fangs.

"_Then we have an agreement?"_

"_**We have an agreement,"**_Kurama replied with his attempt at a smile before his expression became serious, _**"Now to heal the stupid Uchiha's nerves…"**_

* * *

_**A Suivre**_

* * *

_**A/N:**_ I know I said this chapter would end at Rivendell, but at this point I am only half way through the outline I had and the chapter was already as long as the previous one. The next chapter may be shorter but it will most certainly end at Rivendell. Also, as I'm sure you've all guessed, I am an introspective writer, so my action scenes have much to be desired. If you have pointers or know any good stories I should look at for action sequences, I'd appreciate it (To be truthful, I usually skim over actions scenes 'cause they're boring to me, but that is a large part of this story). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ~ with love, depressedchildren


	3. Chapter 3: A Knife in the Dark

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Lord of the Rings or Naruto; both works belong to their respective creators and publishers. I gain nothing but writing and editing experiences from this fanfic.

**_Full Summary:_** Ultimately, they would not change what happened for anything in the world. At long last they had a family, a family both had dreamed for since their genin days. Neither of them ever expected to have children together, nor let their pasts go. But here they were: content, and in peace at long last. But now they find their family, their peace, breaking apart due to the struggles of the free peoples against the Power in the East. Will they forsake the world they have so few ties to, or will they become weapons of change? _WARNINGS:_ OC's, character death (not a likable character), gender-bending.

_**Warnings for this chapter:**_ Character death, f-bombs, cannibalism, and a livid Aragorn

**A/N: **So my outline went to shit as soon as I started writing this chapter. *sigh* It worked for the last chapter but it was basically burned to ash and was trampled on by a herd of "oliphants" from the start of this one. Again, you'll see a lot of overlap, and I took more sections in this chapter from Tolkien's books, so I do not own those passages. I just wanted to get the dialogue correct for I have an appreciation for all that he put into it and you notice these great little connections and foreshadowing in the actual dialogue. Anyways, hope you enjoy and thank you to those that have reviewed, and put this on alert or favorite ~ with love, depressedchildren.

* * *

_Chapitre trois_

* * *

_**3017 October, 4**_

Naruto made sure Gandalf held onto Dusk as she meditated and focused on the fox's chakra. With her hands in a familiar cross pattern she created nine clones, and let one tail of the demon's chakra into each of them. She then loosened the control she had over the chakra in the clones. It was an arduous process, and showed her mastery of the fox's chakra, for if she worked too fast the clones would pop and there may be a backlash of demonic chakra.

Naruto opened her eyes slowly and turned to the nine crouching Kurama possessed clones. They were giving a feral smile while eying Gandalf like he was a delicious snack. The old man just stared at them with wide eyes and his mouth open.

"That energy…"

"**Yes," **one Kurama-clone cooed **"I'm the demon from the other day." ** The clone then raised its clawed, chakra coated hands in contemplation. Gandalf stood up straighter but it was clear he was unnerved by the clones.

"What are you waiting for, go!" Naruto snapped, but the clones just turned to her and cocked their heads to the side.

"**Why?"** they asked in unison.

"**You didn't say we couldn't kill him,"** another clone practically sang while the others began to circle around a now alarmed Gandalf that was holding a crying Dusk.

"I will pop you all," Naruto threatened with her arms over her chest. The clones pouted and sighed dejectedly.

"**Fine,"** one began.

"**But he strays away from you, he's fair game!"** another clone stated with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"You have some Nazgûl to terrorize," Naruto still had her arms crossed over her chest, she really was not impressed with Kurama. The clones gave her put upon expressions before vanishing in a red blur.

"I feel this may have been a grave mistake," Gandalf whispered faintly before he sat atop the tumbled ring of stone that was once the watch tower. The old man shook himself and began to sing that elvish song again. Dusk began to calm down until he was just sniffing.

"You have to teach me that, but for now, what should we do?"

"I am not sure. It may be wise to stay here, though should the riders elude that demon…" the old man trailed off and gave a slight grimace, "Pardon me, Lady Arad, I meant no offense to you."

Naruto shrugged, sure she might have thought the man was making a comment at her for being the furball's container, but then he was kind and was probably more confused as to why she had the demon inside of her. "It's alright, he's a bastard, and an actual demon."

The old man nodded slowly. Dusk was calm now and was beginning to tug on Gandalf's beard. Naruto laughed slightly at the sight before looking back at the teme. She sighed and moved to kneel beside him before she set his head in her lap.

"You know, you can ask me about Kurama, about how he got inside me," she looked over at the old man discreetly and saw his pensive look.

"It would set my mind at ease, but I do not wish to cause you undo stress or pain—" Naruto waved the old man's concern away dismissively.

She absently began to brush at the teme's hair as she spoke, "As you might have guessed, when a demon container, a jinchuuriki, goes through labor, the seal that keeps the demon inside weakens. My mother, as you know, was the jinchuuriki of Kurama before me, and it was extracted from her after she gave birth to me. Normally this would kill a person because your chakra coils grow or fuse with the demon's own.

"Well, my parents decided to seal the Kurama into me to save our village from destruction, and it was through working with Kurama that I was able to overcome that horde of dead shinobi and defeat Obito… Kurama isn't bad, he really isn't. He's just…vindictive and a moody bastard. But I have his respect and I trust him, even though he's always trying to escape when I have babies," Naruto rolled her eyes and smiled wryly at the old man who smiled slightly in return.

"Then you control him?"

She couldn't stop herself from laughing, "Don't let the furball hear you say that!" she continued laughing, but gave the Istar a broad smile, "He likes to call it a partnership," she winked and the old man began to laugh slightly.

"That is a relief then," the old man looked down at Dusk and smiled softly. "You risk and go through so much to bring life into the world, it is truly amazing, Lady Arad."

Naruto looked over at the man in shock but then she looked back down at the teme, "I'd do anything to have a family…" she hoped the old man hadn't heard her, but when he began to sing that elvish lullaby again, she couldn't help but wonder if he had. She smiled sadly and bent down to kiss her teme. _"You better wake up soon," _she whispered against his lips.

…

They had not gone far on the fifth day when they left the last straggling pools and reed-beds of the marshes behind them. The land before them began steadily to rise again. Away in the distance eastward they could now see a line of hills. The highest of them was at the right of the line and a little separated from the others. It had a conical top, slightly flattened at the summit.

Tinnu watched with wide eyes at the beauty of the land, though there were large open plains, it was new and beautiful to her. She looked over at her Ojisan who pointed to the offset hill.

"That is Weathertop. The Old Road, which we have left far away on our right, runs to the south of it and passes not far from its foot. We might reach it by noon tomorrow, if we go straight towards it. I suppose we had better do so."

Ojisan didn't seem so certain; in fact, he seemed hesitant to be leading. The hobbits likely didn't pick up on this, but Tinnu had known her uncle for all her life and knew the signs. Ojisan always seemed to shy away from leadership roles though he was constantly put into them, and it had always confused her family why he would feel that way. He was a natural leader, and when he didn't second guess himself and worry too much, he did a great job of leading too.

"What do you mean?" asked Frodo who was looking off toward Weathertop.

"I mean: when we do get there, it is not certain what we shall find. It is close to the Road." Riders, Tinnu deduced as she looked over at where her sisters were hiding in their illusions.

"But surely we were hoping to find Gandalf there?" Frodo persisted, his bright eyes widening slightly. Dawn still wasn't sure who this Gandalf person was, but she knew the chances of running into who they needed to were slim at best. She saw that clearly in her uncle's eyes. He had been thinking about this for some time.

"Yes; but the hope is faint. If he comes this way at all, he may not pass through Bree, and so he may not know what we were doing. And anyway, unless by luck we arrive almost together, we shall miss one another; it will not be safe for him or for us to wait there long. If the riders fail to find us in the wilderness, they are likely to make for Weathertop themselves. It commands a wide view all around. Indeed, there are many birds and beasts in this country that could see us, as we stand here, from that hill-top. Not all the birds are to be trusted, and there are other spies more evil than they are."

That seemed to be just about all of Ojisan's thoughts on the matter, but now the hobbits were looking about themselves anxiously and they eyed the distant hills with distrust. Sam looked up as if fearing a large bird might be hovering above them and might even swoop down upon them.

"You do make me feel uncomfortable and lonesome, Strider!" the stout hobbit exclaimed with furrow in his brow.

"What do you advise us to do?" Frodo moved the conversation back to the matter at hand and Ojisan was clearly uncomfortable, though the untrained eye would not be able to tell.

"I think," he started slowly, as if he was not quite sure and Tinnu wanted to give her Ojisan a hug—he always seemed to second guess himself! "I think the best thing is to go as straight eastward from here as we can, to make a line for the hills, not for Weathertop. There we can strike a path I know that runs at their feet; it will bring us to Weathertop from the north and less openly. Then we shall see what we shall see."

After the short conference they proceeded on through the dreary pale day.

…

Kurama 7 smirked as it continued to chase the fleeing rider. Oh this was fun! The Kyuubi possessed Naruto clone gave a bloodlust crazed laugh as it continued to run just behind the horseman. _**Run, run, run, as fast you can, little horseman. You can't escape evil incarnate.**_

Cackling, the possessed clone sent out a chakra hand to upheave the earth in front of the horseman. The rider was barely able to maneuver the horse out of the way of the flying debris and the crater. The clone laughed loudly, and just to keep the horse on its "toes" it launched itself like a predator leaping upon its prey, and sunk its elongated nails into the horse's behind.

It gave a delightful scream and nearly bucked off its rider, but the clone let go of the horse and licked idly at its bloody claws. It would let the rider get a little ahead before Kurama 7 chased after it. Ah! To hunt again, how delicious!

…

Kurama 2 closed its eyes as a breeze came in. It felt heavenly, even though it wasn't blowing through Kurama's fur, he could still feel it. It felt so wonderful after so many years of imprisonment. And the scents, oh the heavenly scents! The heady, fresh smell of dirt mixed with the scent of decaying vegetation. Then there was the smell of the autumn wind, which was different from the Elemental Lands but no less wonderful.

Kurama 2 purred as it smelled the scent of copper, the scent of blood. It could smell its prey's fear and oh how it sent shivers down its spine. Oh and the taste of sweet, raw, dripping-with-blood meat. Horse had never been Kurama's favorite, but as the clone devoured the horse's heart, it was all worth it. Kurama 2 really must pass on the versatility of human hands to the original; they could tear and squish at the same time, and feel the blood ooze between the fingers.

Kurama 2 looked over at the pinned creature that was practically screaming in rage at it, but Kurama 2 just laughed. The rider would come next after the horse, but for now, the possessed clone was going to enjoy its meal.

…

Kurama 3 watched the rider in front of it. If it crippled the rider then Kurama 3 could do whatever it so please, perhaps it could even go after those delicious humans near the road. They smelled tainted like the riders, but they were still human, sweet, sweet human.

Kurama may not have needed to eat ever, but he had always enjoyed the hunt and then sinking his fangs into hot muscles and letting the blood run into his fur. He had even developed a taste of sorts for blood. So Kurama 3 thought it could please its original by hunting those humans over there. Mmm…but it had to take care of that annoyance trying to run away from it.

A bijudama should take care of that nuisance, or at least cripple it, oh yes, that sounded delightful~! It would feel wonderful to accumulate the chakra in its throat to spit it out at the running creature. Then Kurama 3 could get those humans on the road.

…

Kurama 9 was getting bored, the chase had lost its appeal, and the horseman's fear was no longer appealing. Seeming to flicker out of existence, it reappeared in front of the horse and its rider.

The horse whinnied and went up on its hind legs. The clone looked at the creature in disinterest and used its chakra enhanced claws to rip out the horse's heart. He looked at the bleeding muscle and crushed it before turning to look at the rider that was slowly rising to stand.

It drew its sword and faced off against Kurama 9. Oh, the little horseman was going to fight an embodiment of the great and powerful Kyuubi! This would be a laugh! It danced around the Nazgûl as it futilely tried to swipe at the clone with its over-compensating sword. Kurama 9 cackled and delivered a devastating kick to the creature's abdomen. While the creature was trying to right itself, Kurama 9 pounced and tore at the creature's jugular with its sharpened canines. That was when it burst out of existence.

The eight remaining possessed clones thought the same thing, well shit. They wouldn't be able to get the satisfaction of tearing their opponent apart limb from limb, and possibly watching it regenerate only to be torn apart again. It was a buzz killer, to be certain.

…

It wasn't long past sunrise when Naruto saw something off to the north-west. She squinted and wished she had the teme's sight. Closing her eyes to better sense the natural world she gasped and would have stood up and begun jumping up and down if her lap wasn't full of teme.

"What is it Lady Arad?"

Naruto turned to the old man and glared at him with her hands on her hips, "Okay, gramps, enough of this Lady shit. I'm not a lady." Gandalf blinked a few times before chuckling.

He had been surveying the area for the last few hours while Naruto watched her husband and son sleep. Dusk was lying on his father's stomach with the cloak wrapped around them both. Heh, it was kind of cute seeing them sleeping like that together, except that the teme wasn't just sleeping, he was likely in a regenerative coma.

"Anyways, I think my daughters are to the north-west, you can see several specks on the horizon."

Gandalf turned in that direction and gave a surprised noise. "It looks like they are going to come to Weathertop from the north."

"So should we stay here?" she asked before her attention was pulled away by an explosion to the south-east. That was a bjiudama…she closed her eyes heavily and shook her head.

"What was that?!"

"One of the clones," Naruto waved her hand back and forth while looking back down at her teme. Dusk woke up and so she reached over her husband to soothe the baby. As she rocked the boy she thought that there was likely going to be a huge crater over there. She shook her head, but what did she expect, she had given them full—Naruto's attention was drawn away from her current thought when a full tail of charka suddenly returned to her. What the…? Did that clone go suicidal?

"_**No! One clone bit one of those creatures and dispersed,"**_ okay, how did Kurama know that and not her!? The fox gave a long suffering sigh, _**"Are you truly so dense? You let my mind and chakra take over your clone; therefore, it's not really**__ your __**clone, but **__mine__**."**_

Naruto took a few minutes to decide if that was a good thing while she rocked Dusk back and forth until he was calm again. She wouldn't be able to get the memories from the Kyuubi possessed clones, but she would feel the chakra returning to her, and she could feel the clones' chakra through senjutsu… This might be a good thing; she didn't really want to know what Kurama did in her clones' bodies.

"_**Oh, don't worry, I'll show you bit by gruesome bit, when you sleep" **_the fox cackled mentally and Naruto blanched. Oh that did not sound good.

…

Minuial had felt it growing all day. She recognized the energy from when her mother went into labor, and the day their mother had left. It was the Kyuubi, but he was spread out into in so many different places. She could feel his energy spread out in the distance but she wasn't sure where, and then there was a huge explosion right of Weathertop. She could practically feel the tremors from here.

Aragorn looked to the south-east. The hobbits were also startled by the noise. "Strider?" began Pippin cautiously, "What was that?"

If he didn't know any better he might have thought it was his friend sparring his wife. Aragorn had seen the aftermath of their "spars" and it looked like a tornado and possibly even a volcano had struck their chosen clearings.

"I am not sure…"

"But you have a guess?" Frodo looked at Aragorn critically, even going so far as to search his eyes for answer.

Aragorn sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Last night there had been a lightning creature on the horizon, had you seen it?" the hobbits nodded with wide eyes, "That creature matched the description of a friend of mine's favorite attacks."

"You have a wizard friend!?" Pippin asked excitedly, "I mean, beside Gandalf?" the young hobbit amended.

"Did Dû seem like a wizard to you, Master Took?" Aragorn asked lightly over his shoulder, he smiled wryly at the thought of his blacksmith friend appearing as one of the grizzled Istar.

"Dû?!" Merry and Pippin exclaimed in alarm.

"He summoned that lightning monster from the sky?!" Sam asked as he looked above him warily, as if the creature would appear and strike him where he stood.

"Yes," Aragorn replied to both of their answers.

"You know Dû?" Frodo questioned, and though Aragorn would have expected the suspicious question to come from Sam, he was relieved someone asked.

"Yes, his children are like my nieces," he smiled fondly at the thought and the hobbits made understanding noises, all but for Sam.

"You could be just saying that," the stout hobbit mumbled and Aragorn gave the hobbit a grim smile.

"I could, you are correct, but I am not. I met Dû and his wife Arad fourteen years ago, and they are certainly more than they appear."

"You're telling us," grumbled Sam before mumbling something about transforming into hobbits.

"I am sure you are only aware of their illusions, and Dû's lightning trick, but they know much more. Arad is a formidable warrior, and I have seen the destruction she leaves in her wake after sparring with her husband."

The hobbits were speechless and Aragorn chuckled slightly. "Come, we shall continue on cautiously. I imagine there is a greater reason as to why Arad destroyed a large a swathe of land than she and her husband having taken their spars outside of Bree." Which they always did, but that as beside the point… Aragorn looked around them once more but saw nothing amiss.

They would have traveled out here for their daughters, who for all Aragorn knew might be following them. His instincts and Frodo's may be spot on; perhaps his nieces were following them. But why then had Sasuke and Arad—for Aragorn would never feel comfortable calling that cheerful blonde woman Naruto—fought with such destructive techniques? What were they fighting? Aragorn feared the answer.

As they continued to plod along, the land became drier and more barren; but mists and vapors lay behind them in the marshes. There were a few more distant explosions throughout the day, and each one set Aragorn's hair on end.

As the sun began to set and the cool evening set in, they came to a stream that wandered down from the hills to lose itself in the stagnant marshland. From there, they went up along its banks while the light lasted. It was already night when at last they halted and made their camp under some stunted alder–trees by the shores of the stream. Ahead there loomed now against the dusky sky the bleak and treeless backs of the hills.

They were practically exposed to whatever was out there that his friend and wife were fighting. "We will set a watch for tonight," Aragorn began, much to the hobbits' dismay. He did not feel safe here… "I will take last watch," he announced, for it was the worst watch to take. However, as he tried to sleep while Merry began the first watch, he found that he could not.

His nieces were likely out there, somewhere, on this cold autumn night. They were putting themselves in danger but he could do nothing to help or stop them. The night was almost too quiet; he felt a great sense of foreboding. He looked over at Merry who was enthusiastically taking his post at watch seriously, even though it was clear he was tired. It warmed Aragorn's heart to see such earnestness in the young hobbit. Perhaps the young Brandybuck might make a fine squire if he carried his enthusiasm to other similarly serious matters.

Aragorn refrained from sighing as he leaned against one of the alder-trees. He did not see himself sleeping tonight, but he would feign it when the hobbits were looking—he did not want to needlessly worry them.

…

The freedom had been fun at first, but now it was a bore! Kurama 5 could not run through the woods tearing things down because it had to chase these stupid riders that it couldn't even touch. It was so boring, Kurama 5 felt to be near tears. So cruel, so unfair that they couldn't just tear into those damn cloaks without it being their own demise.

What a bore! And with the jinchuuriki up on Weathertop sensing the whole wide world, there was little that would escape her. They couldn't exactly just abandon post; Kurama 3 learned that when the jinchuuriki appeared while 3 was feasting on the some helpless humans. Needless to say, the jinchuuriki had vomited and then proceeded to beat the clone most of its chakra—there were several rasengan and bijudama involved in that altercation. Still, they were not to leave a Nazgûl unguarded lest they lose most of their chakra in a fight with the jinchuuriki.

Kurama 5 was sick of playing cat and mouse; it had long since lost its appeal. Kurama 5 perked its head up and smiled maliciously. Oh, it had just gotten a wonderful idea! Making a cross pattern the jinchuuriki was so prone to using, Kurama 5 made two clones of itself to pass along its brilliant idea to its brethren. Kurama would be so proud of 5, it just knew it!

* * *

_**3017 October, 5**_

Minuial watched as Ojisan shifted about anxiously while the hobbits made their breakfast, once they ate, what the hobbits considered to be short commons, the moved out. There was mist in the air, and it was cold yet beautiful all the same. The hobbits looked refreshed, almost as if they had had a night of unbroken sleep.

Minuial knew she looked more like her uncle who was tired but was hiding it. She and her sisters established their watch rotation the first night and had kept to it, but now it was becoming tiresome. She was hungry too! They each had a small stash of food with them that they ate while under a separate illusion from their main illusion.

It was becoming more and more difficult to stay in the shadows and not interact, but that was role of kunoichi and all shinobi. They hid in the shadows and did not blow their covers! She shook her head and looked over at Frodo tightening his belt after a comment from Pippin about how he was twice the hobbit he had been before.

"Very odd," he finished tightening his belt as they took off for the day, "considering that there is a good deal less of me. I hope the thinning process will not go on indefinitely, or I shall be come a wraith," the hobbit joked but Ojisan turned on him sharply with narrowed eyes.

"Do not speak of such things!" he said quickly with an earnestness the hobbits must have found surprising. Was there something Ojisan knew that he wasn't telling them? Was he fearful about something, was becoming a wraith truly a prospect for Frodo? He seemed like such a nice, witty hobbit.

As they marched on the hills drew nearer. They made undulating ridges, often rising almost to a thousand feet, and here and there falling again to low clefts or passes leading into the eastern land beyond. Along the crest of the ridge, Aragorn could make out what were the remains of green-grown walls and dikes of ancient stonework. Soon they would find the northern path leading to Weathertop. He was disturbed by Frodo's comment earlier in the day, for that was a very real possibility for a ring bearer. He shuddered at the idea of such a clever and kind hobbit being turned into a ghostly creature like the Nazgûl.

He had set a somber mood on their party with his comment, but he could not resist speaking out. It would do Frodo no good to joke of what could very well happen to him someday. By nightfall they would likely reach the western slopes of the hills. They would make camp there, and though it was open it had more protection than closer toward Weathertop.

…

Naruto rolled over in her teme's arms and she felt him smirk into her hair. She sighed contently as his arms wrapped around her middle tighter. Her teme, no Nazgûl were going to take him away from her.

Someone began laughing, and at first she thought it was the teme, but his voice hadn't sounded so cruel in a very long time. No…someone else was laughing. She looked up from where she rested against the teme's chest and peered around her. She was in her bed in Bree, but when she looked down at the teme, she stifled a scream. There was a black, crude, withered looking arrow sticking out of his neck. What?!

She jerked off of their bed as a fire began to spread through the room. NO! She leapt across the room toward the cradle but-but oh gods! Dusk… what was left of him was smeared across his sheets.

Despite the flames Naruto moved into the hallway before bursting into the girls' room… No… no… they were all dead, torn apart like those humans one of the clones had attacked. Oh gods, she felt sick!

The fires swirled around her and licked at her skin, but as she looked into the room, she caught something in the girls' window. It…It was an eye staring at her, staring _into_ her. The eye was burning, it was on fire. What the hell, what the hell!?

_War comes from the east, flight or flee, war comes from the east._ The same voice that had laughed at her so cruelly spoke now, and Naruto just knew it was that burning eye speaking.

The downstairs door burst open and these hideous creatures began to swarm her house _Flight or flee, war comes from the east._ The voice mocked. She closed her eyes tightly and wished to be anywhere but this hell.

"_**Hahahaha,"**_ no! She was sick of that stupid eye! _**"How can you not even tell between a dream and reality, idiot?"**_

Naruto's eyes snapped open and she was before the fox's cage. _"Kurama, what was that?"_ her voice was trembling slightly.

"_**You were supposed to have that dream five, almost six, days ago, but we were both too exhausted to even dream; though I had felt it…."**_ The fox smiled, or attempted to smile, maliciously.

"_What do you mean?" _Naruto snapped out the question, the dream had been disturbing and she didn't want to think of any implications that might come with it.

"_**This world works in curious ways. I'm sure if you told that old man about it, he could give you some insight…"**_ the sly manner Kurama was speaking in suggested he was up to something if not in on something.

"_You're in an awfully good mood," _she hissed at him.

"_**Well half of **__my__** clones were dispersed. It seems the Nazg**__**û**__**l learned all it takes is one hit," **_the fox practically cackled and Naruto shot awake and out of her mind scape.

She sensed around her and felt four of the riders approaching. The other four were still a little ways away and were being guarded by the possessed clones.

"Arad, is something the matter?" Gandalf asked and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"They destroyed half of the….umm… well doubles of myself," she really was not sure if there was even a westron word for clone. Naruto quickly crossed her hands and produced about twenty normal clones and sent them to distract the Nazgûl.

"If they are headed here, they must think there is something of significance about this place, other than the obvious advantages. We should leave this place and draw them with us."

"But what about—?" Naruto began but Gandalf's stern look silenced her.

"You still have some of those demonic things, yes? Then they can act with the doubles you have just made and begin drawing the Nazgûl's attention away from Weathertop. But we must move like we have something we want to keep away from them."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding and she nodded her head. "Very well." She looked down at her unconscious husband._ What to do with him,_ Naruto wondered.

She stood up fully and stretched her arms over her head and stretched out the kinks in her back. She had slept for a few hours and felt more energized, though that might be because half of Kurama's chakra returned to her.

Slipping on the baby carrier she looked down at her husband. Well… they would need speed and the teme was still out.

"Arad," Gandalf began when he saw her moving to pick up the teme.

"It's alright gramps. You'll just be slowed down if you have to carry him, and I can keep up." She hefted the teme onto her back in a recovery position, "Now baby me!" she demanded and the old man stared at her as if she was insane, but he eventually picked up Dusk from where he was resting and set him in the baby carrier.

"Let's go then," she chirped while she mentally prepared herself to have to deal with a screaming Dusk for a very long time. It was negligent to just let him keep screaming, but it wasn't as if she really trusted him with a clone—with her luck it might pop itself and drop Dusk. It was going on evening and it was going to be a long, loud run.

Gandalf righted himself and set a stone atop the tumbled stones in the center of the hill. "Yes, let us go."

* * *

_**3017 October, 6**_

It was their seventh day out from Bree and for the first time since they left the chetwood, there was a track plain to see; a track now used often by rangers. They turned right and followed it southwards.

Aragorn favored this path above the rest when it came to approaching Weathertop discreetly, for it ran cunningly; taking a line that seemed chosen so as to keep as much hidden as possible from the view, both of the hill-tops above and to the flats to the west. It dived into dells, and the ground on either side of it had lines of large boulders and hewn stones that screened the travelers almost like a hedge.

"I wonder who made this path, and what for," Merry murmured in wonder as they walked along one of these avenues, where the stones were unusually large and close set. "I am not sure that I like it: it has a—well, rather barrow-wightish look. Is there any barrow on Weathertop?" Merry asked in an almost shaking voice as his eyes darted up toward the encroaching hills.

If his nieces were following him, as he suspected, they would likely be amazed by the sight. He had educated them in their parents stead, and so they knew the lay of the land from a map's perspective, but seeing and being in the lands was always better. He hoped he was mistaken, he hoped the girls had decided to just run wildly through the woods and their parents were just trying to find them, and that the girls had not chased after him and the hobbits. Aragorn felt as he had all those years ago when six-year-old Dawn had been injured because she had raced out to meet him when he returned after an exceptionally long absence from Bree. He wouldn't be able to bear it if he caused his nieces injury because they had chosen to follow.

"No." Aragorn began as he attempted to shake away those thoughts by casting his gaze about. As they had made their way along the path the world around him seemed too still. There were no more explosions and it was almost too silent. I set the hairs at the back of his neck to stand on end and he felt almost restless.

"There is no barrow on Weathertop, nor on any of these hills," he paused again, and briefly wondered what horrors the hobbits must have faced to be so afraid of barrows. He could make a vague guess given the legends circling around the Barrow Downs, but he could not say for sure. The hobbits had clearly had a rough time since the Shire; after all, he had seen the fear in their eyes when he spotted them in the _Prancing Pony_ and then before when they were outside of Bree. Perhaps he could take their minds away from their pressing fears through a little history?

"The Men of the West did not live here; though in their latter days they defended the hills for a while against the evil that came out of Angmar. This path was made to serve the forts along the walls. But long before, in the first days of the North Kingdom, they built a great watch-tower on Weathertop, Amon Sûl they called it. It was burned and broken, and nothing remains of it now but a tumbled ring, like a rough crown on the old hill's head. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-galad out of the West, in the days of the Last Alliance."

Tinnu looked at her uncle in wonder. When he told them stories and lectured them on the history of Middle Earth, his descriptions always fascinated her. The hobbits were also staring at Ojisan in wonder. Perhaps they had not expected someone as rugged as Ojisan to know the old lore, but Tinnu had always suspected there was more to her uncle. Maybe he was prince, which according to the other Bree girls, was a rich man from a noble line that knew as much about lore as about swordsmanship. Though the only princes Ojisan lectured them about was an elven prince from Mirkwood named Legolas, and some old guy called the Swan Prince? She hadn't really paid much attention to those lessons because Ojisan just rattled the names off dismissively, so Tinnu figured the Bree girls were just making princes out to being things greater than they really were.

"Who was Gil-galad?" Merry questioned while giving Ojisan an appraising look. Tinnu caught her uncle's slight smile; perhaps he picked up on how the hobbits were likely surprised he knew old lore. However, before Ojisan responded, Sam began to sing in a low murmur:

"Gil-galad was an Elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing:

the last whose realm was fair and free

between the Mountains and the Sea.

.

His sword was long, his lance was keen,

his shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven's field

were mirrored in his silver shield.

.

But long ago he rode away,

and where he dwelleth none can say;

for into darkness fell his star

in Mordor where the shadows are."

The young hobbit ended abruptly, even though there was so much more to the story. In her head, Tinnu began to sing the rest of lay that she knew—which was in sindarin.

As she mentally sang the song, she watched the amazed hobbits stare at their companion, "Don't stop!" said Merry. Likely the hobbit hadn't expected his stout friend to know the song or sing it so well.

"That's all I know," stammered Sam as he blushed under the attention, "I learned it from Mr. Bilbo when I was a lad. He used to tell me tales like that, knowing how I was always one for hearing about Elves. It was Mr. Bilbo as taught me my letters. He was mighty book-learned was dear old Mr. Bilbo. And he wrote _poetry_," Sam said the word almost reverently; "He wrote what I have just said."

"He did not make it up," Ojisan stated, though Tinnu could hear that her uncle was a little offended by the hobbit's final statement. "It is part of the lay that is called _The Fall of Gil-galad_, which is in an ancient tongue. Bilbo must have translated it. I never knew that," Ojisan mused, his voice taking on a more pleasant and even wistful tone.

"There was a lot more," Sam added, "all about Mordor. I didn't learn that part, it gave me the shivers. I never thought I should be going that way myself!" the hobbit shuddered slightly and looked positively disgusted yet frightened at the same time.

"Going to Mordor!" cried Pippin with wide eyes, "I hope it won't come to that!" he exclaimed desperately but Ojisan whirled around on the hobbits with a sharp look in his eyes…he was worried about something.

"Do not speak that name so loudly!" he almost hissed before he turned about around and surveyed the area. Did Ojisan expect some minion of Mordor to appear out of the blue? Tinnu looked over to where her sisters were hiding and wished again to be with them and to communicate her fears with them.

…

Gandalf's plan was working, though Naruto felt terrible that she couldn't soothe Dusk's tears since the Nazgûl were racing behind them. They had traveled through the night and it was now mid-day. They had probably gone the length of Tsuchi no kuni but they were still in the wide plans east of Weathertop.

They were being chased by four mounted riders and Naruto was sorely tempted to disable those horses, but then her children and the hobbits they were accompanying were on foot and she had a pretty good feeling that the Nazgûl were faster than the hobbits.

She could feel her clones and the possessed clones still chasing after some of the Nazgûl while other clones were just standing off against the riders. They were too close to Weathertop for her comfort but there was little she could do about it.

For now she would just have to keep diverting their attention to her, since these creatures couldn't be killed. _"It's okay baby, I won't let them hurt you," _she murmured to her screeching infant. He must be very sensitive to their energy or else these creatures just affected all beings and babies were more susceptible. _"It'll be over soon…"_ she murmured though it felt like a lie.

…

It was already mid-day when they drew near the southern end of the path, and saw before them a grey-green bank that led like a bridge up to the northward slope of the hill. They decided to make for the top at once, while the daylight was broad; this Aragorn, hoped might reveal them of any persons nearby while the daylight warded away foes. However, concealment was no longer possible, and they could really only hope that no enemy or spy was observing them. But once upon the top of the hill they saw nothing moving, and it was unlikely that Gandalf was anywhere about.

On the western flank of Weathertop they found a sheltered hollow at the bottom of which was a bowl-shaped dell with grassy sides. Rangers often camped here, and Aragorn had used it from time to time when he wished to travel discreetly across the wide country.

He would leave Sam and Pippin there while he, Merry, and Frodo observed what they could from atop Weathertop. It would take a half-hour climb, but from the crown of the hill they would certainly command a wide view.

When Aragorn stopped he looked behind him at a panting and breathless Frodo and Merry. He refrained from chuckling, for their short legs had likely made the climb unendurable, but these hobbits were made of sterner stuff, as Gandalf reminded Aragorn time and again.

Aragorn moved to the tumbled ring of stone in which there was a cairn of broken and burned stones, yet at the top of these piled stones was one unburned stone. He picked it up and examined it carefully while the hobbits examined the land around them.

"Well here we are!" Merry stated with his hands on his hips, "And very cheerless and uninviting it looks! There is no water and no shelter. And no sign of Gandalf," Aragorn flinched slightly at the hobbit's words. Perhaps he had led them astray; perhaps they should not have come here. "But I don't blame him for not waiting—if he ever came here," the hobbit added lowly and again it was like a small blow being dealt.

Aragorn didn't wish to be put into leadership positions yet often he was the only one qualified for it. What would come to Gondor if he took the crown back? Would he lead the country to disaster? He mentally shook those thoughts away and held the stone in his hand up in a contemplating fashion.

"I wonder," he began and drew the hobbits' attention to him once more, "Even if he was a day or two behind us at Bree, he could have arrived here first. He can ride very swiftly when need presses." Aragorn wondered if perhaps his friend and wife had met up with Gandalf and were traveling with him, for it was certain that they had been near Weathertop just the day before.

He turned the stone in his hands a few times before showing it to the hobbits, "This has been handled recently," the hobbits peered down at the stone, "What do you think of these marks?"

"There seems to be a stroke, a dot and four more strokes," Frodo observed and Aragorn could tell he was matching it up with what languages he knew.

"The stroke on the left might be a G-rune with thin branches," Aragorn suggested, "It might be a sign left by Gandalf, though one cannot be sure. The scratches are fine, and they certainly look fresh. But the marks might mean something quite different, and have nothing to do with us. Rangers use runes, and they come here sometimes."

Merry had looked hopeful for a moment but it fell and he looked a little confused, "What could they mean, even if Gandalf made them?"

"I should say," Aragorn began almost hesitantly since he had let down the hobbits already, "that they stood for G4, and were a sign that Gandalf was here on October the fourth: that is two days ago now. It would also show that he was in a hurry and danger was at hand, so that he had no time or did not dare to write anything longer or plainer. If that is so, we must be wary."

"I wish we could feel sure that he made the marks, whatever they may mean," said Frodo. "It would be a great comfort to know that he was on the way in front of us or behind us."

"Perhaps," Aragorn began wistfully, "For myself, I believe that he was here, and he had been in danger. There have been scorching flames here; and now the light that we saw three nights ago in the eastern sky comes back to my mind. It is quite possible that Gandalf had met with my friend and his wife and they had been attacked on this hill-top. Based on the explosions the following day, I hope that the result was positive, but I cannot say for certain. Regardless, they are here no longer, and we must now look after ourselves and make our own way to Rivendell, as best we can."

"How far is Rivendell?" asked Merry as he gazed around wearily, and Aragorn understood, the world did look wide and wild from up here.

"I don't know if the Road has ever been measured in miles beyond the _Forsaken Inn, _a day's journey east of Bree. But I know it would take me twelve days, with fair weather and good health, to reach the Ford of Bruinen from Weathertop, and then another two days to reach Rivendell, should I not take the road."

"A fortnight!" exclaimed Frodo in shock, "A lot may happen in that time," he murmured sagely and Aragorn agreed.

They stood for a while on the hill-top in silence. Aragorn contemplated how they should proceed and what might be the fastest route, when Fordo clutched his arm suddenly.

"Look!" he cried as he pointed downwards. "Four black specks were coming from the south and east toward Weathertop." At once, Aragorn flung himself onto the ground and pulled the hobbits downs with him.

"What is it?" Merry, the ever inquisitive hobbit, asked in a whisper.

"I do not know, but I fear the worst," he answered; could it be the riders? As they crawled toward the toppled stones the sky began to cloud over and soon the sun would be setting. They would not be able to see what exactly those black specks were, but Aragorn suspected they might be Nazgûl. If that was the case, did that mean his friends were dead?

Aragorn looked once more over the edge of the hill and barely refrained from cursing, "The enemy is here!"

Hastily they crept away and proceeded down back to the dell in the cover of the shadows to find their companions.

…

Kurama 5 examined its nails as it watched the pathetic horsemen ride to Weathertop. Kurama 5 looked over at the cluster of clones around it, and laughed at how easy it had been. Just like their original, the clones were far too susceptible to genjutsu. Kurama may have worked with his jinchuuriki in the past, but there would always be a part of Kurama that would resent the little human for being its jailer.

Kurama 5 wasn't attacking the jinchuriki's family, these delightfully wicked riders were. It had been simple matter to teach the riders how to disperse the clones, and once four of the Kurama possessed clones offered up their chance at freedom, it was child's play to draw the blonde out. Four possessed clones popped, the riders move back toward Weathertop, and the idiot runs off to draw their attention away while sending out a small horde to watch over the other possessed clones. Simple, and predictable.

They just had to wait at the edge of sight for the hobbit company to show up, and for night to come on; then the Nazgûl could move in on them. Really, Kurama was doing the jinchuuriki a favor. An attack on the blonde's children would reunite the sickening family all the sooner and then there would be no more senseless running, and Kurama could wait for the human to get pregnant again so he can escape.

Kurama 5 stretched languidly and wondered how long it would take the jinchuuriki to figure out she had been played. It cackled to itself and stared into the distance.

…

Naruto faltered mid step as she felt something shift in the energies around her. Her eyes widened and she heard Kurama cackle in her ear.

"_You did not," _she mentally growled.

"_**Oh, my clones thought to put an end to this mindless running, you can thank me when later, or when you're pushing out another baby and you let me free!"**_

"_Just for that, I am not having any more children for a decade!" _she screamed at the fox mentlaly before she tossed the bastard at the old man. She had timed it perfectly so that he landed on his stomach across the old man's lap.

Though she was pissed off at the Kurama, she still tapped slightly into his power. She didn't want to get any closer to the Nazgûl than she had to; however, she made sure the chakra did not coat her so Dusk would not be harmed.

From there, two chakra arms reached out for the horses and snapped their necks.

"Arad!" yelled Gandalf as he turned around jerkily with one hand, while the other kept the teme's comatose form from falling off the horse.

"Fucking Kurama, fucking backstabbed me!" she screamed as she unhorsed the other two riders. She then proceeded to use the chakra hands to throw the riders off to the south by several leagues.

"Excuse me?!" he was probably more affronted by her language than anything and Naruto wanted to scream.

"Just follow me if you can, gramps!" she then took off as quickly as she could with a still crying Dusk strapped to her chest. She would not let her babies be hurt, damn it!

…

When Aragorn, Frodo, and Merry returned, they found Sam and Pippin had not been idle. They had explored the slopes and found a spring of fresh water to refill their water skins, and they had found signs of a hasty camp. "I wonder if Gandalf has been here," Sam said to Pippin as he brought some firewood from a stacked pile. "Whoever it was put this stuff here meant to come back it seems."

Aragorn regarded the hobbit keenly, perhaps there would be more evidence of his friends or evidence of the enemy. Either way, it would be worth exploring. "I wish I had waited and explored the ground down here myself." He cursed his brashness mentally as he hurriedly looked to examine the spring and any footsteps that remained.

He sighed as he straightened, and returned to the group, "It is as I feared, Sam and Pippin have trampled the soft ground, and the marks are spoilt or confused. Rangers have been here lately. It is they who left the firewood behind. But there are also several newer tracks that were not made by Rangers. At least one set was made, only a day or two ago, by a heavy boots. At least one. I cannot now be certain, but I think there were many booted feet."

He stood there and looked about anxiously. Gandalf wore more supple boots, not heavy boots and there had been many heavy boots. He feared it was not the rangers…

"Hadn't we better clear out quick, Mr. Strider?" Sam asked impatiently with a frown marring his face, "It is getting late, and I don't like this hole: it makes my heart sink somehow."

"Yes, we certainly must decide what to do at once," Aragorn replied as he looked up at the darkening sky. "Well, Sam," he said after a minute of consideration, "I do not like this place either; but I cannot think of anywhere better that we could reach before nightfall. At least we are out of sight for the moment, and if we moved we should be much more likely to be seen by spies. All we could do would be to go right out of our way back north on this side of the line of hills, where the land is all much the same as it is here. The Road is watched but we should have to cross it, if we tried to take cover in the thickets away to the south. On the north side of the Road beyond the hills, the country is bare and flat for miles."

He would leave the decision to them, he provided them with all the information they should need to make a choice. He had led them false already it seemed, and Sam did not fully trust him yet. He hoped this earned him more of the hobbits' trust. He hoped his nieces were not hiding somewhere nearby, not with the riders so close at hand.

"Can the Riders _see?"_ Merry asked almost skeptically, "I mean, they seem usually to have used their noses rather than their eyes, smelling for us, if smelling is the right word, at least in the daylight. But you made use lie down flat when we saw them down below: and now you talk of being seen, if we move."

Aragorn sighed in slight frustration, "I was too careless on the hill-top," he admitted and as he ran a hand through his hair, "I was too anxious to find some sign of Gandalf, but it was a mistake for three of us to go up and stand there so long.

"The riders may not be able to see, but their horses can and they can use creatures and men as their spies, as you witnessed in Bree," the hobbits nodded gravely and shuddered slightly at the reminder, "The riders themselves cannot see the world of light as we do, but our shapes cast shadows in their minds, which only the noon sun destroys; and in the dark they perceive many signs and forms that are hidden from us: then they are most to be feared. And at all times they smell the blood of living things, desiring and hating it. Senses, too, there are other than sight or smell. We can feel their presence—it troubled our hearts, as soon as we came here, and before we saw them; they feel ours more keenly. Also," he added in a whisper, "the Ring draws them." It was long past time the hobbits knew what was hunting them.

"Is there no escape!" Frodo looked around wildly, as if the Nazgûl were about to fall upon them. "If I move I shall be seen and hunted! If I stay, I shall draw them to me!"

Aragorn smiled grimly and set his hand on Frodo's shoulder to calm him down. Hopefully his nieces would hear what he was about to say, if they were in fact hiding somewhere nearby. "There is still hope," he said, "You are not alone. Let us take this wood that is set ready for the fire as a sign. There is little shelter or defense here, but fire shall serve for both. Sauron can put fire to his evil uses, as he can all things, but these Riders do not love it, and fear those who wield it. Fire is our friend in the wilderness."

Sam looked at him skeptically. "Maybe," he grumbled, "It is also as good a way of saying "here we are" as I can think of, bar shouting." Aragorn looked at the hobbit unimpressed but he could not change the hobbits mind.

Dawn felt anxious as she watched the hobbits and her uncle make a fire and then sit around it discussing traveling, food, and even folklore. She gave a heavy sigh as her uncle recited the tale of Tinúvel. It made her sad every time she heard it for she knew her uncle and his love were so much like that story.

Soon it was silent around their camp fire and Merry and Sam wandered off; however Sam returned quickly with a fearful look in his eyes. "I don't know what it is, but I suddenly felt afraid. I wouldn't leave this dell for any money; I felt that something was creeping up the slope."

"Did you_ see_ anything?" Frodo stressed as he sprang to his feet. Dawn perked up and imagined her sisters did the same. She could feel it now, like the hairs on the back of her neck were on end.

"No sir. I saw nothing, but I didn't stop to look," Sam wrung his hands anxiously while his eyes darted about the clearing.

Merry returned then, just as anxious as Sam, "I saw something, or I thought I did—away westwards where the moonlight was falling on the flats beyond the shadow of the hill-tops. I _thought_ there were two or three black shapes. They seemed to me moving this way," the hobbit swallowed nervously.

Ojisan shot to his feet, "Keep close to the fire, with your faces outward!" he ordered, "Get some of the longer sticks ready in your hands!" he was moving about the camp as if surveying every shadow.

Dawn could feel a shift in the air and she knew her uncle felt it too, for Ojisan quieted the restless hobbits. It was then that over the lip of the dell black shapes rose and began to advance upon them. It was the riders! It was time for them to act, it was time for them to show they were brave kunoichi!

She ran through the necessary seals and her illusion fell, she then looked over at her sisters and saw that they too had released their illusions. The hobbits screamed at their appearance and she heard their uncle's worried yell but they push that all aside. They were here to protect, to fight!

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tinnu racing toward a rider advancing upon Sam. Dawn readied her bow and arrows and shot at the other advancing creatures but it did no good. It was then that she heard a whinny off in the distance. They had horses, and if her bows did no good against them like this then perhaps….perhaps she could take out their mounts so they couldn't follow them! Yes she would do that. Activating her sharingan, Dawn leapt out of the dell and proceed to search for the riders' horses.

Minuial saw her sister jump out of the dell and wondered if she was looking for a better vantage point. Her sister had never been one for short range, so she could understand why she left. But right now, Minuial had to focus on the towering shadows approaching them.

Ojisan kept throwing glances at her and Tinnu, as though his worst dream had come true. Minuial shoved the sudden shame and guilt she felt aside. She was going to going to protect the hobbits! However, as soon as the riders came to the bottom of the dell, those thoughts were driven away by a crippling fear.

She was going to die. The fear was cold and heavy, it made her arms and legs feel like lead. She had come between Merry and his advancing rider, but she couldn't move, she couldn't…even as the rider unsheathed its sword and prepared to slice her in two.

"What are you doing!? Fight if you're going to fight!" Merry cried as he flung himself to the ground. It snapped her out of whatever daze held her, and in a flash she withdrew her broadswords and raised them up in an 'x' just in time to catch the blade coming down at her.

She gritted her teeth and widened her stance to take the force of the attack. She was then able to push the rider's blade up higher as she got into range to kick it. She twisted her blades to the side in hope of disarming the creature, but it only made the creature pull its sword away. No matter, she followed her move with a twisting kick that she laced with chakra. The rider gave a surprised shriek as it was kicked to the side several yards.

She stood there panting with her eyes wide. Why couldn't she get enough air in her lungs?! Was it this horrible feeling in the air? This was the riders' ability wasn't it, they could feel each other so acutely, but the riders felt so terrible and frightening.

It was then that she heard the dying cry of a horse and it sent shivers down her spine and into her feet, but it didn't come from where Bill had been grazing. No, the noise came from somewhere outside of the dell.

She quickly looked around as the rider she knocked off its feet was righting itself. Minuial couldn't see Dawn but she had a good feeling that she was the one that killed that horse, but why? Why would she do that? But as she was looking behind her, Minuial saw that Pippin was left unprotected and the hobbit was cowering on the ground with his arms over his head. She saw the advancing creature, but something was odd about its movements…they were slowing down, more and more. As Minuial looked over at her twin she saw Tinnu moving to block and then kick away the rider much slower than she should have been moving at. What was happening? Her sister pivoted around and she caught a flash of red in her sister's eyes before she moved again. Sam shaking in his place next to Frodo who was trembling slightly.

Minuial's rider was still down but the rider before Pippin was about to strike down on the hobbit. Her eyes widened and she moved faster than she had ever moved before. She would push aside the crippling fear she felt, she would fight, she would protect, but most importantly, she would kill these creatures. She would kill this rider.

She caught the slow moving sword in with the edge of her left sword, and as the rider's blade slide along hers she threw her arm to the side to cause the sword to divert path and fall into the ground. She cast her gaze about her and saw an almost blinding source of energy behind her, but it was foul.

It came from Frodo's waistcoat pocket, but what was most alarming were the traces of chakra at the hobbits brainstem. She noticed the hobbit drop his blade and torch as his similarly chakra coated hands reached down to the waistcoat pocket. What was he doing? Was he possessed? Perhaps he was….didn't genjutsu work by sending chakra into the target's brain?

She heard Pippin give a scream of fright. She turned around just in time to see the rider moving his sword to cut her in half. She moved into the rider's guard and pivoted around it. In that brief moment she saw Ojisan move to protect Merry who, like Pippin, had his hands up over his head. She also saw Frodo becoming coated in that corrupted energy and saw her twin moving to block the rider advancing on Frodo.

But she had no time to think as she slammed her elbow against what should have been the creature's spine. She then ducked to avoid the creature's responding spin and swipe. She was within its guard now but with its arm crossed over its body it would swipe either back the way it came or cross down at where she was crouched. She managed to flip backwards and out of the way of either attack.

She fixed the creature, which was moving strangely slow, with a hard gaze. She would not fear these things, she would kill them; she would!

She charged before the rider had a chance to reposition its hands or ready itself. She was in its guard within the blink of an eye with her arms crossed over her body so that her left-handed blade would swipe across the creature's neck as her right-handed blade swiped diagonally across the creature's torso.

Her momentum was the only reason she was able to follow through with her attack, for as soon as her blade came in contact with the rider's body, a cold seeped up through her broadswords into her hands, and then into the rest of her body. Her swords were beginning to shake as if meeting more resistance than they should when cutting into an enemy. In fact, she saw in slow motion her swords disintegrating, or perhaps bursting, into tiny pieces about mid-way through her attack, but even then the cold had reached all of her and it was choking her.

Her vision began to spot out and she screamed in an attempt to get air or heat back into her lungs. Everything felt so cold, so terribly cold! Darkness consumed her vision as she fell backwards onto the ground, but it wasn't the ground any more, it was just dark.

Before her in this pressing void was the rider, but he appeared as an ethereal old man with a very long beard. He was perhaps a lord before he became whatever he was, but this wraith was the only source of light in the void.

It staggered away from her before righting itself and raising its sword. Minuial scrambled to her feet, but it felt strange… Her limbs felt so cold and heavy, as if all the energy had been sapped from her. The creature was no longer moving slowly, in fact, it was moving as quickly as her, even faster than her!

She scrambled backward out of the way of its downward sweeping attack, and shakily she drew out her trench knives. It was just them in this great, endless darkness. If she did not kill this rider in here, then she would die; she knew it, and that though alone was all that motivated her numb and heavy limbs into moving.

She jerked out of the way of another swipe and wondered why this rider was moving faster than she could! She hastily rolled to the side to avoid another downward strike. She jerked back to her feet and was now in the rider's guard. She pivoted around the ethereal creature and once at its back cut it with her closest knife. It bled, surprisingly, and Minuial was calmed by the realization this thing would die in this void.

She barely ducked the rider's responding attack, and she did her best to stay to its back, but being of almost equal speed, she was forced to withdraw from it. Her technique hinged on speed and being able to get into her opponent's guard. But this blackness, this void, it seemed to equalize them, yet she knew this creature was more powerful than her here.

She stared at it panting, unable to get enough air in her lungs. The longer she was in here, the more drained she became; as if the darkness around her sapped at her strength, her will. Minuial had to end this, and end this quickly or she would surely die.

The rider seemed to know what she was thinking for it smiled with mockingly with rotted teeth showing. It set its sword to act as a spear to skewer her, but she had to move now, she had to end this! She raced toward the creature as it knew she would. Just before the creature was about to skewer her, she twisted to the side, which caused the blade to slice across her stomach, but she was able to pivot so that she was once more at its back.

She jumped and braced herself with her left arm on the wraith's shoulder. With her right hand she reversed her grip so that she could rake her knife across the creature's throat and thus sever its arteries.

As the creature fell to its knees, she was able to touch the ground again. She was trembling all over, as if that last attack had taken what remained of her strength and will. Her legs gave out under her and she fell backwards into the sea of darkness. She could hardly breathe. She panted heavily as she lay there with her stomach dribble blood from the thin, long cut. Minuial felt herself fade farther and farther away. Farther…and farther… … away.

…

Naruto stopped in her tracks. She had been feeling her daughters' energies but suddenly Minuial's went out. Her legs gave out under her and she distantly heard Dusk crying. Something cold settled inside of her, and instead of crying she felt nothing.

She could hear Gandalf galloping far behind her as he tried desperately to match her speed, the poor horse.

Naruto looked up again and she gently touched Dusk's head, _"Shh little boy, shh," _she whispered, _"I'll make Kurama pay and those Nazg__û__l too. I'll kill them, yes I will, I'll kill those Ring Wraiths for killing Minuial." _ Naruto rose calmly, she felt cold all over and distantly she could hear Kurama laughing in her mind.

"_**Oh? And how will you make me pay?"**_

"_What was Sabaku's container before Gaara?" _Naruto asked in a deadly calm voice. Kurama's laughing ceased and Naruto continued her running. Her eyes were hard and set for the dell where her child's energy had been snuffed out. She didn't care if they were immortal, she would kill them all, somehow.

…

Dawn saw it all happening in slow motion and each moment was burned into her mind. She had taken out their horses after she realized her arrows had little effect on the riders. With the horses gone they could then flee with less of a chance of pursuit. Dawn and her sisters could each carry a hobbit while the last one rode on Bill and Ojisan ran beside them. They could then put a good distance between them and the riders. But then her plans fell apart as she watched what happened in the dell below.

She saw Ojisan knock back the rider he was fighting before he was forced to protect Merry when Minuial had shifted her assault onto the rider attacking Pippin. She saw Tinnu break through her crimpling fear and protect both Sam and Frodo from their riders, for as long as she could. And despite her newly unlocked sharingan, she could not keep up the protection and had gone to Sam's aid when Frodo became coated in chakra and tried to run away. Dawn saw in horror how the un guarded rider stabbed the coated hobbit.

Dawn also saw the youngest of their family, if only by a few hours, unlock her bloodline just as her twin had. She felt such pride for her siblings, and it lifted the suffocating fear around her—but her pride was quickly replaced by horror when she saw her baby sister scream after attacking one of the creatures solidly. Minuial's newly unlocked sharingan faded away, and her eyes were wide open in horror as she fell backwards as if struck.

Minuial was so pale and Dawn could not see her chest rising or falling. Her bow and the fitted arrow fell from Dawn's hands. She was supposed to protect them and now…oh gods. Dawn shouldn't have let the twins convince her, she shouldn't have caved in! This was all her fault! Oh gods, she killed her sister, she let this happen!

He legs gave out under her. She had promised Tousan so many years ago, after she accepted the fact that Kaasan had abandoned them, that she would protect her sisters with all she had. She wouldn't let them be hurt! But she failed, she let this happen.

She saw Tinnu fall to her knees screaming and clutching at her head. Her new sharingan was changing as she screamed in agony at the sight of her fallen sister. Ojisan gave a cry and even began to move toward Minuial's fallen form while the other riders paused and stared at rider Minuial had attacked.

Her family was falling apart, they were all defenseless and once those riders got over their shock, they would attack them, and she couldn't let that happen! No! No! Dawn wouldn't let anyone else die because of her stupidity, because her irresponsibleness!

The wind picked up suddenly around. Two skeletal arms made of wind rushed at the riders frozen by her family. She saw Frodo face down on the ground with his sword under him while the one rider was frozen in shock as well. No! Frodo was as still as Minuial, he was dead too! Damn it, she failed! She screamed as a skeletal hand made of wind grabbed the rider over Frodo and threw it as wind arm could. Her sister, her baby sister was dead because of her, and Tinnu screaming grief, tormented by thoughts of being responsible for her twin's death.

Dawn wanted all the riders to go away, she had to and the wind—which sapped the chakra from her like a thirsty man gulped down water—responded to her wishes. Panting, the wind arms threw the two remaining riders away from them. The wind died down then and Dawn looked down into the dell.

The air was still for a long, heavy moment before she and Tinnu raced toward Minuial. Ojisan raced to their side as well. _"Why did you follow us!"_ he yelled as he began to hurriedly examine Minuial. "Why damn it!?" Dawn and Tinnu jumped back at their uncle's curse, he never swore.

"_Ojisan"_ Dawn began trembling but he shot a glare at her and her words froze in her throat.

Ojisan unfastened Minuial's cloak so he could feel for her pulse, _"Did any of you even think of the consequences? Of the turmoil and strife you might have put your parents through?!_

"_Oh gods, she's cold as death!" _Ojisan looked to be near tears, but then his eyes widened. "There's a pulse," he breathed in relief before glaring once more at his nieces. _"Why?! Why did you three do this? For adventure? Look what that has gotten you?!" _

Dawn flinched and Tinnu held onto her tightly as they both trembled in the face of their uncle's wrath. Ojisan was so angry and disappointed, it was terrifying. He stood up stiffly and looked down at them with a hard expression, _"You are women, and you have acted like selfish children with no regard for your lives or the lives of others."_

"_Ojisan…"_ Dawn began in a trembling voice as she dropped her head to stare down at Minuial.

"_Silence,"_ he demanded before looking over at the clustered hobbits. "Sam," he barked and the hobbit jumped nearly a foot in the air, "bring a pot of water to boil and steep these leaves in it," he ordered as he tossed a pouch tied to his hip at the stout hobbit.

"Strider!" cried Sam from where he had moved to catch the pouch of herbs. "Mister Frodo disappeared from my side!" the hobbit's voice was almost shrill in his panic, "How's boiling some leaves going to help?!" he demanded and Ojisan's expression became cold which made the hobbit flinch.

Pippin suddenly spoke up, "He's over here! Oh no!" the hobbit lamented, "He's been stabbed!"

Sam moved over to the eldest hobbit and hovered over him. "It will do more good then hovering over him will!" Ojisan snapped as he began to make his way over to Frodo, who was no longer coated in chakra. However, he threw one last look that screamed how disappointed he was with his nieces. _"Move her near the fire, now!" _the girls hopped to it and quickly moved Minuial closer to the blazing fire. Dawn could practically feel the coolness of her sister's skin through her cloak.

When Minuial was positioned by the fire once more, Tinnu helped Dawn set their sister's head onto their lap. Though there sister was miraculously still alive, Dawn and Tinnu found themselves crying and not with hope or happiness. This had been a disaster, and it was all her fault.

She and Tinnu bowed their heads and stifled their sobs but regardless their bodies shook and they gasped for breath. What had they done?

Aragorn had tried to ready himself for the possibility that his nieces had been hiding in the shadows but all his mental preparation had done nothing when he saw his nieces seemingly materialize out of nowhere. His sudden all-encompassing panic and fear had nearly cost him his head. If he had a few days to mentally prepare himself, to be ready for the responsibility of both the hobbits and his nieces' safety, perhaps he wouldn't have been so unbelievably angry as he was now.

He was practically trembling as he kneeled beside Frodo, and the conscious hobbits gave him a wide breadth; though their anxiety for their friend made them reluctantly draw closer to him. Aragorn took a deep breath and forced himself to regain some composure. He had to be level headed and strong for them all. The hobbits were ready to break when Frodo suddenly reappeared with his sword beneath him, and his nieces were barely hanging in there, metaphorically and physically—in Minuial's case. That thought made him take another calming breath, for if his nieces had not followed them then this wouldn't have happened!

"Sam, how is the steeping coming along?" he asked through gritted teeth. They had very little time to work with, for though he had seen the skeletal wind monster that had covered his eldest niece and literally threw the Nazgûl at least a league; he knew Nazgûl would return eventually. He had heard horses dying and assumed Dawn had taken out their mounts, which would make it easier for them to flee the riders if they were quick with their healing.

Still, Minuial was fading fast. It was almost as if her will had been crushed by a greater will. He unconsciously glanced toward the crumpled rags of what had been a Ring Wraith, though perhaps that was the case; a greater will destroyed hers. It was hard to believe, but she had killed a Nazgûl; she had truly killed it, but at what a cost? Her life? He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. Why did they do this?!

He took a few more calming breaths as he gingerly moved aside the hobbit's tunic and vest to assess the wound. For a moment, in the flickering fire light, he saw a glint of metal, which was quite possibly a piece of the blade which stabbed him. No matter how much Athelas he used, it would do little good until that piece of the blade was removed, though Aragorn did not have the skill to do so.

He moved the hobbit closer to the fire where he could smell the sweet and reviving fragrance of the Athelas_. "Dawn! Tinnu!"_ he called the sobbing sisters_, "drench a rag in the pot and rest it against your sister's head,"_ he ordered before turning to Sam, "Scoop out some of the steeped leaves and wrap them in a cloth for me," he ordered again. He gritted his teeth as he looked at over at his unconscious niece. He could see both Frodo and Minuial fading, and it was quite possible they could turn into wraiths without healing. They had a fortnight of travel and he was not sure if his niece would make it.

"S-Strider?" Merry began hesitantly, "Why are Dû's children here, and who's that archer?"

Aragorn turned back to the wound with his jaw clenched tightly in anger. The would had to be purified of the Morgûl taint before it spread further. It would take elven healing, but perhaps he could hold the hobbit over until they reached Rivendell or help.

"They are all Dû and Arad's children," Aragorn replied in a controlled voice that suggested how truly angered he was, and Merry jerked back slightly. As Aragorn spoke, Sam handed him a sodden cloth, which he let the plant cool in before he set the sodden leaves against the open wound. He then used the wet cloth to wipe at the edges of the wound and clean away some of the blood. Frodo was lucky it was not a fatal wound, but without treatment he could become subdued under their will.

Aragorn took bandages from his pack and began to dress the wound. As he was doing so, he looked across the fire to see Tinnu pressing a cloth to her sister's head. Why did they do this? He felt betrayed by their actions; they knew he was on a dangerous mission that he did not want to involve their family in, yet what did they do? They got involved!

"Ah, Strider!" Aragorn was shaken from his thoughts by Frodo making a startled noise, "What's wrong?!" he asked worriedly as the hobbit hurriedly sat up. The hobbit was certainly made of sterner stuff than Aragorn had thought, but Gandalf had hinted as much.

He shook his head and finished dressing the hobbit's wound, perhaps with a bit more force than was necessary based on Frodo's wince. He then heard Frodo recount what he had seen and the compulsion he had to put on the ring. He wanted to curse the hobbit, but he was not foolish enough to doubt the seductive power of the ring. He could hardly blame the hobbit, though he would never want to be ring bearer himself. Not with his family history.

With the wound dressed, Aragorn began to move back over to his nieces while the hobbits wrapped Frodo in extra cloaks.

Aragorn knelt down beside Minuial and felt for her pulse as he took the cloth from Tinnu and soaked it once more. He couldn't speak to them, he would yell and curse them if he tried to speak. Instead, he astutely ignored them and their sobbing. He had to ignore them or he knew he would yell and blame them for what happened to his niece—to their sister. They seemed to know this too, for they just looked down at their sister in their laps and continued to cry.

The atmosphere was tense and Aragorn could feel the hobbits staring at them, and more specifically staring at his nieces.

"I can't stay quiet no longer, Mister Strider," Samstated as he stood up with his hands folded in front of his chest, "How did they just appear out thin air? What are you all playing at?" he asked suspiciously and Aragorn snapped his head up to glare at Sam.

"Are you implying, Sam, that I purposely risked my nieces' lives just to pulling the wool over your eyes?" Sam seemed to understand his mistake and he took a stuttering step back and swallowed thickly. The other hobbits flinched and Frodo looked like he wished to interrupt, but Aragorn did not care at that moment.

"I am not in league with enemy and neither are they. Though they are foolish and selfish children, but they are not evil!" the girls made a pitiful noise and he looked over at them in contempt, "And now their sister is hanging onto life by a thread for **killing** one of your pursuers." Aragorn turned back to the quailed Sam, but before he could get another word out he was interrupted.

"Minuial's not dead?!" Aragorn turned his head around to see Arad standing at the edge of the fire light; likely she had just jumped down here. The hobbits jumped backwards in alarm at her sudden appearance.

"_Kaasan!" _his nieces cried in sudden relief but the blonde had eyes only for her unconscious child. There was a sniffling babe strapped to her chest, and it gave a little wail as she moved to kneel beside her daughter.

"She's not dead?" Arad asked again and he nodded.

"She has a pulse but it is faint." Arad shook her head in disbelief while muttering something in her native language. He looked at her expectantly to see what she would do next.

Naruto did not understand how it was possible. She was going to stop in at the dell to pay her respects and explain how she would seek revenge for what had happened, but then she heard Ranger-san snapping at the hobbits about how his niece was barely alive.

This wasn't possible, Minuial had no chakra left, yet she still had a pulse.

She had made clones to take care of the Kurama clones and she could feel the epic battle taking placing off past Weathertop, but frankly she did not care now that there was hope for Minuial's survival.

"_Kaasan?"_ Dawn asked in a trembling voice, but Naruto held up her hand. She likely did not have much time to act in and so she closed her eyes and met with the fox.

It was smirking at her and she glared back. _"You're quite satisfied with yourself, aren't you?"_

"_**I told you, you would be reunited sooner this way."**_

"_Heal her," _Naruto was not in the mood for the fox's games, not after what it had caused.

"_**Oh, why should I? Won't I be locked into a jar by you?"**_

"_Not if you heal her," _she replied back in a cold voice.

"_**Ooo!" **_ the demon cooed with a malicious smile in place that just looked like it was baring his fangs. _**"You hate me so much right now, don't you, Naruto," **_ Kurama practically purred her name as it moved its head down to stare at her, _**"Be careful,"**_ he sang, _**"Yami just might come back."**_

Naruto closed her eyes and breathed slowly before opening them. She softened her face and forced herself to let go of the anger and hate boiling away in her veins. If he did this, then her Minuial wouldn't die, and she had to have faith that he would. She couldn't let herself go into the hate, she couldn't.

When she opened her eyes again, Kurama was frowning—well, trying to frown. The demon sighed forlornly, _**"Oh damn. How can you just let go of your hate like that?"**_

"_Because you will heal my daughter," _Naruto stated with a forced smile.

"_**I promised to heal one Uchiha for my freedom, I refuse to heal another because of some slight you feel I've dealt you."**_

Naruto restrained herself and breathed heavily to calm herself, _"Fine, you don't have to heal the teme, just heal my daughter."_

The demon tried to frown again in disappointment, _**"Really, you're not going to rage at me or fight me about this? Not even after all the things I did in those clones' bodies?"**_

Naruto shook her head as she continued to control her breathing and anger. Kurama glared at her _**"You are no fun anymore," **_the fox lamented, _**"Fine."**_

"_Thank you, Kurama." _Naruto opened her eyes after the mental conference to see everyone staring at her before she handed off Dusk to her crying daughters. She then positioned herself over Minuial and let the fox do his magic.

Tinnu shuddered as she felt the demon's charka move to encompass her mother and then she understood. Kaasan was using the fox to heal Minuial—who she had almost killed by impulsively agreeing and convincing each other to go on this cursed adventure. Tinnu had heard her mother talk of how the Kyuubi's chakra healed as well as destroyed. Relief flooded her, but she saw Frodo looking at her mother warily and clutching his waistcoat.

What must that hobbit be thinking at the sight of her mother's chakra? Could the hobbit even sense energies? Ojisan looked intrigued though he still looked angry if his drawn expression was anything to go off of.

Tinnu looked away from her mother, who was coated in that orange chakra, and looked over at her sister and new sibling. Dawn was holding the baby like it was a glass doll. Their sibling looked a lot like Kaasan but with Tousan's coloring. Which made her think of Tousan…oh gods, what happened to Tousan?! Where was he, had he died? He wasn't with Kaasan yet Kaasan had brought the baby.

She was starting to hyperventilate, and when Dawn looked at her, she saw the same fear reflected in her elder sister's eyes.

Oh Tousan!

Naruto looked down at Minuial when the fox was finished. She was breathing more clearly now and she could feel her chakra flickering weakly. _**"That's as good as I can do. She just has to rest now,"**_ Kurama murmured inside her mind _**"Now if you'll excuse me…I am going to admire that malicious chakra over there"**_ the fox gave a yawn and she felt him quiet in her mind though she was left with comical image of a cartoon Kurama making googilie eyes at a ring.

"That energy was your demon, wasn't it?" Naruto looked over at a sharp eyed hobbit who had a bandage over his shoulder. She could feel the foul chakra radiating off of him and was again reminded of her cartoon Kyuubi pining after the ring like a school girl.

However, those thoughts were driven away by another. How the hell did this hobbit know about Kurama!? "Um…yes, and how do you—?"

"Father told them," Tinnu interrupted, though she was breathing quickly and looked panicked, _"Is Tousan alive?!"_

Naruto smiled and nodded her head, _"Chakra exhaustion, but he's alive."_ Both girls sagged in relief and Naruto turned to look at Ranger-san who as frowning.

"I just told them that the Bastard is still alive just in a coma," Ranger-san just nodded though he still looked concerned.

"We need to move," Ranger-san stated as he stood up and looked back east, "Have you heard about the other Riders? Have you run into an elderly man named Gandalf?"

"Gramps? He's watching the bastard and is about two leagues east," she stated quickly as she sensed them, "As for the Nazgûl the other four are unhorsed, and the bastard had uncloaked one three days ago, which makes them disappear though they aren't dead."

Ranger-san nodded sagely, "Then we should move before the ones Dawn threw come."

"I'm sorry what?" Naruto looked over at her daughter who was blushing as she cradled Dusk. "_You threw them, how?! I mean, I've been tossing them left and right, but with Kurama's chakra, how did you do it?"_ the girl just looked down in embarrassment and Tinnu chuckled weakly.

"Two arms made of wind—" Ranger-san began to explain how Dawn had thrown the Nazgûl.

"_You unlocked the Mangekyo sharingan!?" _Dawn ducked her head further at Naruto's exclamation. Ranger-san looked at her in alarm and she waved her hand dismissively.

"_I thought I had led Minuial to her death. I shouldn't have agreed, we shouldn't have left. And Tinnu…her eyes changed after Minuial…after we thought she died…" _tears were slipping down Dawn's cheeks as she spoke and remorse was coming off of her and Tinnu in almost palpable waves.

"_Oh my girls," _she whispered as she enveloped them both in her arms and stroked their hair. _"I can't say I'm pleased, especially since you took all the food and seals, but I can understand. I had my great adventure so many years ago, and I know this world gives women so few opportunities to prove themselves the way kunoichi should. Your father may have something else to say when he wakes up, but I can tell you that I am so happy you are all alive. And shit! You both have the Mangekyo?"_

Naruto shook her head in disbelief. She thought it was only unlocked by killing a someone close, but then Dawn had said she thought she had caused her sister's death, the emotional trauma dealt to both of them, the guilt, likely unlocked it.

Naruto pulled back and looked at her girls, _"With that being said, don't you dare fuckimg do that again! You scared the shit out me and your father!"_ they both flinched at her yell but Naruto proceed to kiss each of them on the forehead before taking Dusk who was trying to feed off of Dawn and looked quite confused about why he wasn't being fed.

"_Now, this is your baby brother Dusk," _she introduced their sibling to them as she threw her dress off her shoulder and began to feed the fussing babe. He had had a long and stressful day and night, and she had neglected him—though when he was hungry while they were being chased, she ran ahead and left a clone with the old man, but he was still in distress and she could not feed him for very long.

Aragorn looked away as Arad began talking to her daughters in that strange language, and the hobbits looked at them amazed.

"Strider," Frodo called and gestured him over, "What language are they speaking?"

"A language from Arad and Dû's home land," he replied as he crouched down beside the hobbits.

"Do you know what they're saying?" Merry asked and Aragorn shook his head. Pippin lamented that fact and Aragorn sighed.

He had to smile at seeing the family reunited but he still felt betrayed by his nieces' actions, and he couldn't help but feel at blame for what happened to Minuial, even though she would recover now.

Aragorn closed his eyes in thought. They were traveling by foot with an injured hobbit and there were Nazgûl ahead of them… Even if the Nazgûl were on foot they would not be able to outmaneuver them with just walking. He also would rather get those injured, those he had failed to protect and thus were harmed, to safety as soon as possible…

"What is it Strider?" Fordo asked softly and Aragorn frowned, he may as well include the hobbits in his ponderings.

"These leaves," he gestured to the steaming pot, "are a healing plant that the Men of the West brought to Middle Earth. Athelas they named it, and it grows now sparsely and only near places where they dwelt or camped of old; and it is not known in the North, except to some of those who wander in the Wild. It has great virtues, but over such a wound as this its healing powers may be small."

He closed his eyes tiredly, but when he opened them he saw that Frodo was looking up at him gravely, and he could read the question clearly in the hobbit's clever eyes.

"Frodo, you will need safety and eleven healing, for an accursed blade gave you that wound. I know you are made of sterner stuff than you appear, and I have faith you will not succumb to the evil of that wound," he paused and could see relief spreading over all of their faces, "however, we must be quick lest the wound grow worse and my healing incapable of helping."

Frodo nodded in understanding but it was Pippin who spoke up in disagreement, "What about the other riders? Would we be running into them if we left so soon? It's the middle of the night! Yes they don't have horses but they are far enough ahead of us that they could be setting a trap for us!"

Aragorn looked away from them all. He had thought of this already, and he turned to look at the family but turned away when he saw Arad feeding her new child. The hobbits had followed his gaze and now flushed as they astutely looked anywhere but at the blonde.

"Lady Arad," he called while looking into the fire, he heard her make a noise that suggested she was listening, "I do not want to ask this of you, but would you transport Frodo to Rivendell?"

"Of course. The bastard will need to go there anyway since he stupidly put his arm through one of the Nazgûl—"

"What?!" Aragorn exclaimed while Pippin piped in.

"Umm… these Nazgûl you keep mentioning are the riders aren't they?" Arad and Aragorn nodded curtly, "It destroyed her swords, like how fireworks burst into pieces."

"I know, that's why I said he was stupid," Arad replied and Aragorn felt himself pale. Oh gods, what happened to his friend?

"So…" Arad began, "We'll take Frodo, the bastard, and Minuial to Rivendell, we could head out now," she added and Aragorn blinked a few more times.

"Yes…that would be good," though he would have preferred his nieces not to be involved.

"You know, I could actually probably transport all of you," Arad added as an afterthought.

"What?!" the hobbits asked in shock.

"Yeah," she shrugged, "So long as you all don't mind piggy-back rides?" she gave them a broad smile.

"I wouldn't ask that of you Arad," Aragorn began but Arad held up her hand while the other held her babe to her teat.

"You all could run into those riders, so why not all of use leave? I don't know how far this Rivendell is, but I can probably get you there in at least half the time it would normally take.

Aragorn could see the relief on the hobbits' faces and knew they would give in. He bowed his head but said no more. He would leave the decision in the hobbit's hands.

"We would appreciate it greatly ma'am," Sam murmured though there was distrust in his voice.

"Yes we would! Oh thank you Arad!" Pippin cried, "You are as beautiful of a soul as you were all those years ago!" he exclaimed joyfully and Arad chuckled.

"So it's decided then?" she asked and the hobbits nodded. Aragorn just hung his head. It did not feel right asking this of a woman who had given birth not even a full week ago.

"Alright, I'll just tell gramps, he needn't come all the way here," she chirped before handing Dusk off and crossing her hands to create a duplicate of herself that flickered out of existence. She then took Dusk back who was beginning to whine again.

The hobbits just stared in amazement and Aragorn prepared himself for the long travel ahead. He wished the hobbits were not so fearful or desperate. He really did not want to ask this of his friend's wife. Alas, he knew Arad would always do her best to help others; it was a supposed fault of hers according to Sasuke, and he now understood how such a trait could be considered a fault.

"Take the hobbits, I will meet up with Gandalf and travel with him. I will not burden you Arad." She looked read to protest but he gave her a hard look, "I will not be swayed on this matter. Gandalf and I will protect ourselves while you protect the hobbits. Can that be agreed upon?"

Arad sighed and looked at Aragorn with a deadpan expression, "You are just like the bastard," she shook her head, "too prideful to accept my help."

"Arad that is not it," he protested but she just shook her head as if she wouldn't listen to him, "You are my friend's wife, I will not be carried by you like some invalid. It is inappropriate of me to accept you offer when I can defend myself and travel quickly on my own."

"Pride," Arad sing-sang and Aragorn just bowed his head in frustration while she made another clone to tell Gandalf the new plans. Arad could be an amazing woman but she was frustrating to deal with at times.

* * *

_A Suivre_

* * *

_**A/N: **_So I hope I didn't cop out with Minuial killing the Nazgûl. I've had many a discussion with people over the "no man can kill the witch king," and after one discussion it was suggested that Eowyn was able to kill it because she was the only one that _dared_ to, not solely because she was a woman—because that _would_ be cop out. So it was tricky and subtle, but I hope you all are able to pick up on the intentions I gave the characters as they fought the Ring Wraiths. Also, the void battle is the battle of wills that I'm going to say Eowyn went through too because that is way too simple otherwise.

Next chapter will be in Rivendell, unless you guys want to have week of travel written out wherein everyone blames themselves for what happened with Minuial, and Naruto stops a lot to feed Dusk … I'll just assume you won't want to read that, and that is why my outline went to crap because originally Dawn and Tinnu would have had an epic chase with the Ring Wraiths, but that obviously didn't because Kyuubi's BA and Naruto was pissed, and if people are being logical, they would slow down those pursuing them. So jumping ahead to Rivendell in the next chapter, though there may be an appearance from Glorfindel, but otherwise it's all Rivendell. Thanks for reading ~ with love, depressedchildren.


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